Political violence: How justifications influence voter approval
What happens when political violence is presented as a justified response to threat or injustice coming from an out-group? A study by Ursula Daxecker, director at the Max Planck Institute for Politics and Social Science in Göttingen, and Neeraj Prasad of the University of Amsterdam, published in The Journal of Politics, finds that legitimizing violence can increase public approval of both…
A recent study reveals how presenting political violence as justified can lead to increased support for the party involved, even among those who typically oppose such actions. The research, conducted by Prof. Ursula Daxecker of the Max Planck Institute for Politics and Social Science and Dr. Neeraj Prasad of the University of Amsterdam, examined the impact of justifying violence on voter approval.
Published in The Journal of Politics, the study surveyed approximately 4,750 registered voters in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, in the aftermath of the 2022 state legislative elections.
Participants were presented with a vignette about vandalism at the residence of Salman Khurshid, a Muslim politician, and were given information about the incident's justification and the BJP's role. The results showed that Hindu BJP supporters who perceived the violence as justified were less approving of peaceful alternatives proposed by their own party.
Conversely, Hindu voters not supporting the BJP became more approving of peaceful dialogue. The study highlights the importance of political elites in controlling the narrative regarding violence and its legitimacy, suggesting that such framing can significantly influence voter behavior and democratic processes. These findings have broader implications for democratic politics worldwide, particularly in contexts of religious polarization and political extremism.
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