The legitimising role of subjective power in right-wing motivated collective action

After the Brexit referendum and Trump’s electoral victory in 2016, hate crimes in the US and UK and US far-right street mobilisation temporarily increased. My thesis investigates these changes in right-wing action, arguing that the perception of power is critical.

Right-wing action is commonly explained based on perceived group-based injustice and anger, whilst its increase was attributed to a change in social norms. I suggest that examining changes in right-wing action requires a novel approach considering the perception of shared social norms and power.

Study 1 examines election effects on social norms, meta-perception and empowerment among voters in the US Presidential Election 2020. A two-wave panel study shows that participants’ perception of social norms was influenced by party membership but not by the election. Since an unexpected defeat was associated with disempowerment among Republicans, the 2020 election may have had a negative effect on the perception of power.

Consequently, study 2 explores the occurrence of and differences in empowerment among attendees of the Capitol insurrection (2021) and the “Unite the Right” rally (2017). A thematic analysis of video data finds that attendees of the latter discuss groupbased injustices; however, their sense of empowerment dominated the rally. Conversely, attendees of the Capitol insurrection mainly expressed anger about perceived injustice, whilst some indicators show they felt empowered by entering the Capitol building.

The ability to occupy public spaces is important to demonstrate power. Study 3 suggests, and experimentally confirms, that far-right sympathisers’ support intentions for the corresponding movement decrease if it is seen as less legitimate, influenced by perceiving it as unable to organise in public due to counter-action. Thus, anti-racist counter-action may have contributed to the decrease in right-wing action by undermining the enactment of right-wing identity – and, therefore, the subjective perception of power.