Collective Nostalgia Is Associated With Stronger Outgroup-Directed Anger and Participation in Ingroup-Favoring Collective Action

Abstract

Collective nostalgia refers to longing for the way society used to be. We tested whether collective nostalgia is associated with ingroup-favoring collective action and whether this association is mediated by outgroup-directed anger and outgroup-directed contempt. We conducted an online study of Hong Kong residents (N = 111) during a large-scale democratic social movement, the Umbrella Movement, that took place in Hong Kong in 2014 in response to proposed electoral reforms by the Chinese government in Mainland China. Reported collective nostalgia for Hong Kong’s past was high in our sample and collective nostalgia predicted stronger involvement in ingroup-favoring collective action, and it did so indirectly via higher intensity of outgroup-directed anger (but not through outgroup-directed contempt). We argue that collective nostalgia has implications for strengthening ingroup-serving collective action, and we highlight the importance of arousal of group-based emotions in this process.

Abstract

Background

Hong Kong is a former British colony and its transfer of sovereignty back to Mainland China occurred in 1997. At present, intragroup and intergroup dynamics are affected by the historical background and political differences between Hong Kong and Mainland China. In September 2014, a large-scale democratic protest known as the Umbrella Movement, broke out in Hong Kong in response to the Chinese Government retracting its promise for Hong Kong to host direct elections for chief executive by 2017. Thousands of protesters demanded reforms to the electoral system and rejected the Chinese Government’s practice of vetting candidates to run in the election of Hong Kong’s chief executive.

Why was this study done?

When Hongkongers (the ingroup) perceive a deterioration of present circumstances compared to past ones and Mainland China (the outgroup) appears to contribute to a dissatisfying present by imposing restrictions on political freedom and challenging core ingroup values, they are likely to experience collective nostalgia. Collective nostalgia refers to longing for the way society used to be. We examined whether collective nostalgia is linked to collective actions that benefit Hongkongers and whether this link was explained by anger and contempt directed at Mainland China.

What did the researchers do and find?

We disseminated an online survey via Facebook and Twitter during the Umbrella Movement in November, 2014. A hundred and eleven Hong Kong citizens took part in the survey. We assessed the following: 1) collective nostalgia toward the way Hong Kong society and people were in the past, 2) anger directed at Mainland China, 3) contempt directed at Mainland China, and 4) level of participation in the Umbrella Movement. We found that the respondents indeed experienced high level of collective nostalgia during the movement. More important, collective nostalgia predicted stronger involvement in the movement. The association between collective nostalgia and involvement in the movement was explained by higher intensity of anger (but not contempt) directed at Mainland China.

What do these findings mean?

Collective nostalgia, through its association with outgroup-directed anger, predicted higher involvement in collective action that benefits the ingroup. These findings suggest that collective nostalgia has implications for the forging of collective action and shaping present day intragroup and intergroup relations. These findings also highlight the importance of arousal of group-based emotions in the mobilization of collective action.

Translated abstract

集體懷舊是指渴望恢復社會過去的生活模式。我們測試集體懷舊是否與支持內部群體的集體行動有關。我們亦測試這種關聯是否因為內部群體對外部群體感到憤怒和蔑視。在2014年，有香港人對中國政府提出的選舉改革不滿，因而展生了大規模的民主社會運動：雨傘運動。在雨傘運動期間，我們對一百一十一名香港居民進行了網上研究。我們發現，研究參與者對香港過去有集體懷舊之情， 而集體懷舊與支持內部群體的集體行動有關。這種關聯是間接因為香港人對中國政府感到憤怒 (但不是因為香港人蔑視中國政府) 。我們認為，集體懷舊對支持內部群體的集體行動有重要的意義，並強調喚醒基於內部群體的情緒在這個過程中的重要性。