The associations between exclusive collective victim beliefs and negative attitudes toward the EU

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of historical exclusive collective victim beliefs (i.e., the perceived uniqueness and severity of the ingroup’s past suffering) on attitudes toward the European Union. Three cross-sectional online surveys (total N = 729) tested the hypothesis that historical exclusive victim beliefs are related to negative EU attitudes. We also hypothesized that the associations between exclusive victim beliefs and EU attitudes are mediated by the perceived similarities between the EU and former perpetrators, belief in the existence of victimhood-related conspiracies against the ingroup, and perceived lack of acknowledgment of the ingroup’s victimization by the EU. Study 1 demonstrated, Study 2 and Study 3 directly and conceptually replicated the mediating role of perceived similarities between the EU and former perpetrators, suggesting that historical analogies provide orientation for contemporary group members. Additionally, in Study 2, we obtained evidence for the mediating role of the belief in the existence of an EU-related conspiracy against Hungary as a mediator, and in Study 3, for the mediating role of the perceived lack of acknowledgment of the ingroup’s victimization by the EU. The findings have theoretical and practical implications regarding the role of historical victim beliefs in formulating present-day attitudes.