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Pressure to Protest: Need to Belong and Rejection Sensitivity Predict Youth Participation

Aspernäs, Julia LU (2017) PSPT02 20162
Department of Psychology
Abstract
Younger people are over-represented in political protests, and tend to mobilise via social ties. As previous research has found participation to be predicted by the pressure to conform to social norms, i.e. by need to belong (NTB), and rejection sensitivity (RS), the current study aimed to investigate whether those relations would be stronger among younger people than older. Furthermore, the effect of NTB and RS were expected to vary across normative and non-normative protest activities, which were studied separately. Results from hierarchical multiple regressions on a representative sample of the Swedish population (N = 2,034), showed age-differences in the effects of NTB and RS on participation, with virtually opposite directions in... (More)
Younger people are over-represented in political protests, and tend to mobilise via social ties. As previous research has found participation to be predicted by the pressure to conform to social norms, i.e. by need to belong (NTB), and rejection sensitivity (RS), the current study aimed to investigate whether those relations would be stronger among younger people than older. Furthermore, the effect of NTB and RS were expected to vary across normative and non-normative protest activities, which were studied separately. Results from hierarchical multiple regressions on a representative sample of the Swedish population (N = 2,034), showed age-differences in the effects of NTB and RS on participation, with virtually opposite directions in normative and non-normative protests. Participation in normative protest activities was negatively predicted by RS, and positively by NTB. The latter was moderated by age and only true for younger people. Contrarily, RS positively predicted participation in non-normative protest activities, and more strongly so among younger people. Moreover, the positive effect of RS was stronger among those low in NTB. Results were discussed in terms of youth identity exploration, peer-pressure, and individualistic culture, as well as societal exclusion and recruitment to violent extremism. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Yngre personer är överrepresenterade bland politiska protestdeltagare, och mobiliserar ofta till dessa via sitt sociala nätverk. Då tidigare forskning visat att deltagande kan prediceras av en press att konformera till sociala normer, dvs. av need to belong (NTB) och rejection sensitivity (RS), så ämnade följande studie att undersöka huruvida relationerna mellan dessa skulle vara starkare för yngre personer än för äldre. Vidare förväntades effekten av NTB och RS variera över normativa och icke-normativa protestaktiviteter, vilka studerades separerade från varandra. Resultaten från hierarkiska multipla regressionsanalyser på ett representativt urval av Sveriges befolkning (N = 2034) visade på åldersskillnader i effekterna av NTB och RS, med... (More)
Yngre personer är överrepresenterade bland politiska protestdeltagare, och mobiliserar ofta till dessa via sitt sociala nätverk. Då tidigare forskning visat att deltagande kan prediceras av en press att konformera till sociala normer, dvs. av need to belong (NTB) och rejection sensitivity (RS), så ämnade följande studie att undersöka huruvida relationerna mellan dessa skulle vara starkare för yngre personer än för äldre. Vidare förväntades effekten av NTB och RS variera över normativa och icke-normativa protestaktiviteter, vilka studerades separerade från varandra. Resultaten från hierarkiska multipla regressionsanalyser på ett representativt urval av Sveriges befolkning (N = 2034) visade på åldersskillnader i effekterna av NTB och RS, med nästintill helt motsatta effekter gällande normativa och icke-normativa protestaktiviteter. Deltagande i normativa protestaktiviteter predicerades i negativ riktning av RS, och i positiv av NTB. Det senare modererades av ålder och gällde enbart yngre personer. Bland icke-normativa protestaktiviteter predicerade RS deltagande i positiv riktning, och särskilt starkt bland yngre personer. Vidare var de positiva effekterna av RS starkare bland de med lågt NTB. Resultaten diskuterades i termer av identitetsutveckling, grupptryck och individualistisk kultur, samt samhällelig exkludering och rekrytering till våldsbejakande extremism. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Aspernäs, Julia LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSPT02 20162
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
political protest, collective action, non-normative, individualism, social identity, rejection sensitivity, need to belong, peer-pressure, violent extremism
language
English
id
8914616
date added to LUP
2017-06-13 17:12:20
date last changed
2017-06-13 17:12:20
@misc{8914616,
  abstract     = {{Younger people are over-represented in political protests, and tend to mobilise via social ties. As previous research has found participation to be predicted by the pressure to conform to social norms, i.e. by need to belong (NTB), and rejection sensitivity (RS), the current study aimed to investigate whether those relations would be stronger among younger people than older. Furthermore, the effect of NTB and RS were expected to vary across normative and non-normative protest activities, which were studied separately. Results from hierarchical multiple regressions on a representative sample of the Swedish population (N = 2,034), showed age-differences in the effects of NTB and RS on participation, with virtually opposite directions in normative and non-normative protests. Participation in normative protest activities was negatively predicted by RS, and positively by NTB. The latter was moderated by age and only true for younger people. Contrarily, RS positively predicted participation in non-normative protest activities, and more strongly so among younger people. Moreover, the positive effect of RS was stronger among those low in NTB. Results were discussed in terms of youth identity exploration, peer-pressure, and individualistic culture, as well as societal exclusion and recruitment to violent extremism.}},
  author       = {{Aspernäs, Julia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Pressure to Protest: Need to Belong and Rejection Sensitivity Predict Youth Participation}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}