Rebellious yet apathetic: System justification and learned helplessness in collective action

Abstract

Introduction: The decay of democracy has led to a growth in political protests worldwide, but even when people perceive their situation as unfair, some do not act. We propose that system justification and learned helplessness are relevant factors in explaining this. Objective: To test a model of collective action that considers factors of inaction. Method: Through structural equation modelling, we estimated models with data from 961 Brazilians, variables were measured through self-report instruments, such as Collective Action scales, the General System Justification Scale, the Social Justice Perception Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and the Learned Helplessness Scale. Results: The models had a good fit and supported the derogation effect of system justification on collective action, but only partially corroborated the predicted association between learned helplessness and collective action. In the Multigroup Model, we found that people who hold weaker political motivations are more prone to inaction through learned helplessness. Discussion: Our findings point to the risk of relative deprivation in generating learned helplessness, which may contribute to inaction and social isolation.