Shared Identity, Shared Experience, Social Mobilisation: A Social Identity Approach to Collective Action Among War-Affected People

Abstract

Crises have the potential to transform social identities and foster collective action, yet little is known about how new identities emerge and how a sense of shared experience (SSE) sustains mobilisation beyond immediate group contexts. The present research investigated these processes among 495 displaced Ukrainians with 107 participants completing a follow-up 3 years later. It focused on identification and SSE with war-affected people and intentions to engage in collective action, including support for human rights and advocacy of refugees from other conflict-affected regions. Cross-sectional analyses indicated that identification indirectly predicted collective action intentions through an SSE. Longitudinal analyses confirmed that identification predicted an SSE over time, relating to refugee advocacy, whereas broader human rights intentions declined. The results suggest that fostering shared experiences and identification with affected groups can sustain collective mobilisation even under prolonged and discouraging conflict conditions.