Abstract
The present research aims to identify cognitive and affective factors that explain participation in societal events from a social psychological perspective. This study examined the role of generalized beliefs about the world in the prediction of collective action, and adopted a diary method by collecting daily measures for two consecutive weeks during the 2014 Hong Kong protests. Social identity was significantly associated with group-related emotions and social axiom was significantly associated with group efficacy, in turn affecting social movement participation. Multilevel analyses showed that group-related emotions and group efficacy explained the effect of time on participation in the movement. Students exhibited variability in the extent of their participation: protesters who “went out to the streets” were more driven by group-related emotions than were the non-protesters who “stayed in.” The findings attested to the added value of worldviews in explaining the psychological mechanisms of collective action.
Highlights
The present research aims to identify cognitive and affective factors that explain participation in societal events from a social psychological perspective
The salience of Hong Kong identity exerted a significant effect with emotions as a Hong Konger being a mediator, whereas the axiom factor of reward for application exerted a significant effect with group efficacy as a mediator
The results of multilevel analyses explained the effect of time on social movement participation through the mediation of group-related emotions and group efficacy
Summary
The present research aims to identify cognitive and affective factors that explain participation in societal events from a social psychological perspective. The scope, intensity, and duration of participation in this societal event are unprecedented in this metropolitan city characterized by its pragmatism and efficiency Scholars have studied this event from different perspectives, and have focused on, for example depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress during and after social unrest (Ni et al, 2016, 2017, 2020), political movements and concerns as risk factors of population mental health (Lau et al, 2017), the influence of celebrities on social media (Chan and Ng, 2017), and the impact of manipulated news (Wong et al, 2021). We used a diary design to track the course of participation in the Occupy Central movement in Hong Kong and identify the underlying psychological mechanisms that account for the temporary changes of collective action
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