Is There a Place for Positive Emotions in Peace Protests? Being Moved and Anger Predict Different Goals of Peace Activism Among Third Parties

Abstract

Focusing on third parties who are witnessing the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, we argue that not only negative emotions but also positive emotions can motivate participation in protests. We hypothesized that people can be positively moved by the idea that they can contribute to a more peaceful situation together, and this predicts their collective action intentions. We tested this hypothesis in two different political contexts that vary in personal risks of protesting: Germany (N = 339) and Turkey (N = 321). Anger mediated the association between injustice appraisals (a belief that the situation is unjust) and collective action against Russia in both sociopolitical contexts. Feelings of being moved mediated the effect of collective efficacy appraisals (a belief that a group can change the situation) on collective action intentions for supporting Ukraine only in Germany. While anger was primarily associated with the goal of punishing those responsible, feelings of being moved were more strongly associated with the goal of being part of the social movement. Our findings show that peace protests are not merely fueled by anger; being emotionally moved can also motivate people to act, though this depends on the political context. Please refer to the Supporting Information section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement