Unravelling the psychological foundations of reactionary social movements

Research into how and why people mobilise in favour of progressive social change is flourishing; but research on why people act collectively to oppose equality and inclusion is rare. Using new conceptual and methodological approaches, this project aims to understand when, how, and why people organise collectively to oppose the inclusion of migrants and transgender people; what prompts some people to escalate to political or physical violence; and how online platforms enable engagement. Expected outcomes defining the social psychology of actors, and trajectories of engagement and extremism, will support a growing collaboration with end-users in the national intelligence community to bolster social cohesion and inform de-escalation tactics.