Opinion‐based group membership as a predictor of commitment to political action

TLDR

Group identification has been found to be a surprisingly weak predictor of intentions to engage in large‑scale social action, possibly because prior research has not focused on the most relevant type of group. This study examined whether identification with opinion‑based groups predicts commitment to political action. Two studies (N = 101 each) in Romania and Australia assessed identification with groups formed around shared opinions. Social identification with opinion‑based groups strongly predicted political behavioural intentions, especially when identity‑certainty items were included, underscoring the importance of social identity constructs for commitment to social action. © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract

Abstract Research on group identification has shown it to be a surprisingly weak predictor of intentions to take large‐scale social action. The weak links may exist because researchers have not always examined identification with the type of group that is most relevant for predicting action. Our focus in two studies (one in Romania and one in Australia, both Ns = 101) was on opinion‐based groups (i.e. groups formed around shared opinions). We found that social identification with opinion‐based groups was an excellent predictor of political behavioural intentions, particularly when items measuring identity certainty were included. The results provide clear evidence of the role of social identity constructs for predicting commitment to social action and complement analyses of politicised collective identity and crowd behaviour. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.