The crowd as a psychological cue to in-group support for collective action against collective disadvantage

Abstract

Collective action against collective disadvantage is an important socio-psychological phenomenon that represents a powerful pathway to social change. One key conclusion from the psychological literature on collective action is that a strong subjective sense of social identity is almost a necessity for disadvantaged group members to become motivated to undertake collective action against collective disadvantage. We propose, however, that even those individuals who may not identify strongly with their group might engage in collective action when they are in a crowd. This is because one core feature of the crowd, the physical co-presence of in-group members, conveys a psychological cue to in-group support for collective action against collective disadvantage. This is particularly relevant for lower identifiers, because, unlike higher identifiers, they do not view themselves as similar to other group members and thus do not expect in-group support. As a consequence, expectations of in-group support and therefore interest in collective action should increase for lower identifiers when they are in a crowd. We tested this idea in a psychological experiment in which higher and lower identifiers with a disadvantaged group were randomly assigned to a physical co-presence or control condition. Results showed indeed that the physical co-presence of in-group members increased only lower identifiers' expectations of in-group support and their interest in collective action against collective disadvantage. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these results.