Can Anger Demobilize? The Political Effects of Anger about the Economic Crisis

Magni, Gabrielle (2015) Can Anger Demobilize? The Political Effects of Anger about the Economic Crisis. [Conference Proceedings] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Anger plays a central role in politics and previous studies have consistently underlined its mobilization effect. Anger has also been the most widespread emotional reaction to the economic crisis, but the aftermath of the crisis suggests that disengagement, rather than mobilization, has emerged as the dominant effect of anger. In order to address the seeming contradiction, this study explores the impact of anger about the economic crisis on political attitudes and behavior with the 2005-2010 British election panel study. Findings show that the impact of anger about the crisis – which has a systemic nature, leads to diffuse blame attribution and makes retribution harder – is conditional on individual efficacy, i.e. perception of individual political influence and resources: anger decreases political attention and participation among citizens with low efficacy, while it stimulates greater political engagement among citizens with high efficacy. At the same time, anger about the economic crisis has fueled support for anti-system parties, thanks to their refusal to compromise and the increased risk propensity of angry citizens. Sections on predicted probability of vote and party choice further explore the impact of anger, while causal mediation analysis tests the causal mechanisms suggested by the theory.

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