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Understanding Change in Social‐Movement Participation: The Roles of Social Norms and Group Efficacy
Author(s) -
Smith Elaine M.,
González Roberto,
Frigolett Cristián
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
political psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.419
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-9221
pISSN - 0162-895X
DOI - 10.1111/pops.12733
Subject(s) - normative , social movement , collective action , psychology , social psychology , social change , social engagement , context (archaeology) , action (physics) , globe , normative social influence , resource mobilization , new social movements , politics , sociology , political science , social science , paleontology , physics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , law , biology
Across the globe, collective action has been a notable driver of social change. Previous research has identified numerous psychological antecedents of collective action participation, such as group efficacy. The mobilizing influence of social norms, however, has been comparatively neglected. Among a nationally representative Chilean sample ( N = 3328), a three‐wave longitudinal study tested the relationship between the perceived frequency of family and friends' participation in social movements (norms of close social networks) and change in the frequency of participants' own engagement over time. Perceived efficacy of social movements to facilitate social change was tested as a mediator of this relationship. A fully constrained bidirectional cross‐lagged panel model revealed that norms of close social networks significantly predicted social‐movement participation over time. This longitudinal relationship was also significantly mediated by group efficacy. Direct reverse paths were also observed, with social‐movement participation predicting norms of close social networks over time. Considering low degrees of political participation often seen in societies, these results suggest that utilizing the normative context to promote participation in social movements may prove fruitful in mobilizing the drive for social change.