Acting collectively against air pollution: When does control threat mobilize environmental activism? Registered report

Research has shown that when control is threatened, people are more likely to turn to groups that are perceived as particularly agentic. However, the question of under what conditions control threat can mobilize individuals to join problem-focused, activist groups remains unresolved. In the present research, we propose that strength of involvement in group-based actions depends on the match between the domain of a threatened control goal and the domain in which the particular group acts. First, a match can occur when the level of control threat matches (vs. does not match) the domain in which a specific group is active. Second, a match can occur when a group operates in the same domain in which the threat to control occurs (vs. in a different domain). We tested these two cases in two countries, focusing on the context of ecological threat (i.e., the air pollution problem) and environmental activism. We did not find support for the first type of match in the data. We did find, however, partial support for another type of match. Specifically, low control participants wanted to join the group and act on its behalf only when there was a match between lack of control and the activist group domain. We interpret these results as initial evidence for the hypothesis that group-based actions among control-deprived individuals can be strategic and goal-driven.