Two kinds of political alienation pull support for violence in opposite directions, study finds
Feeling that your group is shut out of society is linked to support for political violence. But a survey in four European countries found that how people feel about politics can strengthen or weaken that link.
A study published in Psychology of Violence found that two types of political alienation—efficacy alienation (loss of personal power to influence outcomes) and institutional alienation (distrust in democratic institutions)—interact with feelings of social exclusion to influence support for political violence.
Researchers Tahir Abbas and colleagues analyzed data from a survey of 5,501 adults across the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. Participants were asked about their experiences of exclusion, alienation, and support for violence. The study found that perceived social exclusion consistently increased the likelihood of endorsing political violence in all four countries.
However, political alienation did not have an independent association with support for political violence. Instead, political alienation shaped the strength of the link between exclusion and violence endorsement. Among participants who felt powerless and hopeless about influencing outcomes (efficacy alienation), exclusion was more strongly associated with endorsing violence.
In contrast, among those who distrusted democratic institutions (institutional alienation), the link between exclusion and violence endorsement was weaker, though still present.
The findings suggest that political alienation is best understood as a conditional catalyst, not a cause or a brake on support for violence. According to lead researcher Abbas, "What they [the findings] suggest, tentatively but consistently, is that the texture of political estrangement—whether people withdraw from institutions or feel personally powerless before them—matters more for support for violence than its mere presence."
The study highlights the importance of addressing feelings of social exclusion and political alienation to reduce support for political violence. Abbas notes that efforts to strengthen people's sense of influence over outcomes that matter to them might be more effective than simply boosting trust in institutions. He also cautions that security measures that stigmatize entire communities could deepen the sense of exclusion that fuels this link.
Written by urgent.news from PsyPost's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
