Social axiom and group identity explain participation in a societal event in Hong Kong

Recent years have witnessed a global surge in social unrest. Understanding the drivers of social movement participation has been a key area of research in sociology and psychology. While existing research explores factors like perceived costs and benefits, group identification, grievances, efficacy, and social embeddedness, the role of generalized beliefs about the world (worldviews) remains largely unexplored. This study aims to integrate worldviews into the prediction of social movement participation, using the 2014 Hong Kong "Occupy Central Movement" as a case study. This movement, marked by significant public participation, offers a valuable context to investigate the psychological mechanisms underlying collective action. The unique socio-political context of Hong Kong, particularly the principle of "one country, two systems" and concerns about the erosion of Hong Kong identity, provides a rich setting for this research. Previous research on this event has focused on mental health impacts, social media influence, and the effects of manipulated news; this study shifts the focus to understanding the underlying psychological mechanisms driving participation.

Social identity theories highlight the role of social categorization and group identification in shaping behavior. These theories often distinguish between "hot" systems (emotion and motivation) and "cold" systems (thinking and knowing). The integrative social identity model of collective action (SIMCA) emphasizes the influence of perceived injustice, perceived efficacy, and social identity on collective action. Group identification strengthens positive regard for the group and shapes emotions, motivating involvement in group-beneficial activities. Intergroup emotion theory posits that salient social identities trigger group-based emotions influencing attitudes and behavior. On the cognitive side, social axioms—generalized beliefs about the world—influence perceived values and action outcomes. The axiom "Reward for Application"—belief that effort leads to desirable outcomes—is particularly relevant, as it fosters supportive attitudes toward political movements and influences group efficacy (the belief that collective action can achieve desired results). SIMCA demonstrates that perceived efficacy is a robust predictor of collective action.

This study employed a diary study design with daily measures collected over two consecutive weeks during the 2014 Hong Kong protests. A multilevel design nested daily reports (Level 1) within participants (Level 2) was used. 234 university students were recruited; after excluding participants with incomplete data, the final sample consisted of 225 students (152 female; mean age = 19.88). Participants completed online daily measures between 8:00 p.m. and 3:30 a.m. the next day. Measures included: * **Social movement participation:** A composite score based on participation in activities like wearing protest clothing, attending rallies, providing support, or disseminating news. * **Reward for application:** Measured using a single-item belief statement ("Endurance and determination are key to achieving goals"). * **Group efficacy:** Assessed using three items rating the likelihood of the movement achieving its goals. * **Identity salience:** Participants rated the salience of various identities (Hong Konger, friend, family, Chinese). * **Group-related emotions:** Participants rated positive and negative emotions felt as a Hong Konger in relation to the movement. * **Personal emotions:** Participants rated positive and negative emotions experienced personally, not specifically related to the movement. * **Political orientation:** Measured on a 7-point scale from very liberal to very conservative. * **Subjective vitality:** Assessed using a scale measuring energy and aliveness. Multilevel mediation models were used to test the hypothesized relationships, controlling for age, gender, and political orientation. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyze the temporal changes in key variables. Participants were further divided into "protesters" (those who attended off-campus rallies or actively participated in planning) and "non-protesters" to compare the predictive power of different factors across groups.

The proposed model showed a good fit to the data. Group efficacy mediated the effect of "Reward for Application" on social movement participation (indirect effect = 0.022, p = 0.006). Hong Kong identity salience significantly predicted social movement participation, mediated by both positive and negative group-related emotions (indirect effects = 0.027 and 0.014, respectively, ps < 0.001). Only Hong Kong identity salience predicted participation, not other identities (friend, family, Chinese). Group-related emotions, but not personal emotions, significantly predicted participation. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a declining trend in social movement participation, group efficacy, and both positive and negative group-related emotions over the 14 days. Multilevel mediation analysis confirmed that group efficacy and positive group-related emotions explained the decline in participation, but not negative emotions. Finally, comparing protesters and non-protesters revealed that group efficacy predicted participation in both groups, but positive group-related emotions significantly predicted participation only among protesters, suggesting that protesters were more driven by emotional factors than non-protesters.

This study's use of a diary design allowed for the tracking of actual participation in a real-life social movement, examining the temporal dynamics of collective action. It extends existing literature by incorporating social axioms into the explanatory framework, revealing the influence of worldviews on participation. The findings highlight the importance of both cognitive (group efficacy) and affective (group-related emotions) mechanisms in explaining social movement participation. The results show that appeals to group identity and the promotion of a belief in an effort-reward link can foster mass participation in political events. Positive group-related emotions, rather than simply negative emotions related to injustice, play a crucial role in sustaining participation, though the decline over time suggests an "affective adaptation" process. The difference in the influence of positive emotions between protesters and non-protesters indicates that active participation is strongly influenced by emotional engagement with the group.

This study provides insights into the psychological drivers of social movement participation, demonstrating the interplay between social identity, worldviews, emotions, and efficacy. It underscores the importance of considering both cognitive and affective factors in understanding collective action. Future research should explore the role of additional factors such as perceived injustice, social support, and other socio-structural variables. Further investigation into the interplay of individual-level cost-benefit analyses and group-level appraisals is also warranted. The findings have implications for understanding mass mobilization in political and societal contexts.

The study's sample consisted primarily of university students, which may limit the generalizability of findings to other populations. The focus on the 2014 Hong Kong Occupy Movement limits the generalizability to other social movements or political contexts. Although subjective vitality and political orientation were controlled for, other factors might influence participation that were not included in the model.