Browsing by Author "Versteegen, Peter Luca"

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The Dynamics of Emotions in Protests
(The Quality of Government Institute (QoG), 2023-10) Leuschner, Elena; Versteegen, Peter Luca
This paper investigates the role of emotions during protest participation. While multidisciplinary research considers negative triggers a crucial factor for protesting, few studies causally test whether negative emotions initiate protesting and motivate continued protest behavior. Addressing these gaps, we present a model that explains when and why emotions matter throughout protest participation. Online experiments in the US (total N = 1,603) show that, surprisingly, neither negative nor positive emotions motivate individuals to start protesting (vs. issue salience). However, protesting decreases negative and increases positive emotions. The latter motivates protesters to continue protesting. Results hold among political and demographic predispositions as well as across several negative and positive emotions (e.g., anger). The finding that positive emotions motivate protesters to continue protesting helps explain why movements decline or endure. Ultimately, as sustained mobilization facilitates protest success, emotions are central in protesting, even if they do not cause initial protest participation.
On People and Their Passions: The Role of Identities and Emotions in Radical Political Behavior
(2024-04-25) Versteegen, Peter Luca
Abundant evidence suggests that identities and emotions motivate individuals to engage in two recently prominent political behaviors: radical right support and affective polarization. This dissertation integrates this knowledge by asking why identities and emotions are so relevant. I propose that either factor shapes how individuals perceive their position in relation to others, motivating to exclude or oppose them. Across five papers, I leverage seven theories substantiating and a mixed-methods approach examining this claim. In so doing, this dissertation establishes one mechanism––perceived societal position––for why identities and emotions matter for radical right support and affective polarization. Moreover, by integrating these two behaviors into radical political behavior, I invite future research to theorize and investigate these behaviors’ shared consequences for social cohesion and democratic norms. This dissertation implies that purely rational approaches to understanding and addressing radical political behavior are limited. Identity or emotion-based interventions may be more effective.