What Do We Want? Examining the Motivating Role of Goals in Social Movement Mobilization

Abstract

The main purpose of any social movement organization is to achieve the goals of its followers. Little is known, however, about what type of goals disadvantaged group members strive to reach and which of those may motivate them to join a social movement organization. Using a door-to-door survey (N = 351), we investigated the mobilizing effects of goals among inhabitants of the North of the Netherlands that are adversely affected by gas-extraction induced earthquakes. We distinguished between collective (e.g., reduce gas extraction) versus individual goals (e.g., financial compensation), and outcome versus means goals (e.g., influence policy-makers). Moreover, we examined how perceptions of shared opinions with other affected citizens versus with people who are not negatively affected by gas extraction motivate the inhabitants to join a movement and attach importance to different goals. Our results indicate the existence of two pathways for potential mobilization: the first one through the perceptions of shared grievances, which can motivate people to join the movement and pursue collective solutions; and a second one through the perceptions of deprivation, which can motivate people to exert influence on power holders by joining a movement. Individual outcome goals were important but did not motivate disadvantaged citizens to join a social movement organization. We discuss the role of goals as a link between individual level and meso level factors for movement mobilization and collective action.

Abstract

1. Background

In the province of Groningen, in the North of the Netherlands, gas has been extracted from the largest natural gas field in Europe since 1963. As a result of the gas extraction, earthquakes have begun to affect the province of Groningen with increasing intensity; especially over the last decade. Inhabitants of the region suffer from damages to their houses, the inability to sell their houses, stress symptoms, and general declining of wellbeing due to fear of earthquakes. In the complex interplay between businesses, the government, and the affected citizens, very few people have joined social movement organizations to fight for improving the situation of the inhabitants of the region.

2. Why was this study done?

Social movement organizations allow citizens to collectively achieve certain goals when they are disadvantaged. Little research has however focused on the type of goals that people think a social movement organization should fight for. We argue that these goals are related to how citizens perceive their disadvantage compared to both affected others but also compared to unaffected citizens.

3. What did the researchers do and find?

We asked 351 inhabitants of the province of Groningen to fill out a questionnaire. The goal of our study was to investigate whether goals reflecting outcomes that would benefit all affected citizens, versus goals that were aimed more at benefiting individual citizens, would make people more likely to join a social movement organization. In the context of the gas-extraction induced earthquakes, reducing or stopping the extraction would provide a long-term solution that would benefit all citizens of the region. Conversely, better financial compensation would not provide a long-term solution and would mostly benefit the individual with damages. We also looked at means that specified how these different outcomes could be achieved: by gaining support from other Dutch citizens or by influencing policy-makers. We argue that these goals are related to why people are motivated to join a movement: because they feel more at risk than others. We found that the feeling that you are worse off than other affected citizens motivated people to join a social movement organization to fight for a reduction in gas extraction. We also found that when affected people did not feel acknowledged by unaffected Dutch citizens, they were more likely to join a movement to influence policy-makers to do something about the situation.

4. What do these findings mean?

In the province of Groningen, not a lot of people have joined a social movement organization to cope with the negative consequences of gas extraction in the region. Our study suggests that social movements need to look closely at whether the goals they want to achieve are the ones that affected citizens want. When they focus on goals that benefit all of those affected, and if they specify how to reach those goals, they are more likely to attract a larger following.

Translated abstract

De belangrijkste reden dat sociale bewegingen bestaan is dat zij de doelen van hun volgers trachten te bereiken. Er is echter weinig bekend over het soort doelen dat achtergestelde groepsleden willen bereiken en welke doelen hen motiveert om lid te worden van een sociale beweging. Met een huis-aan-huis vragenlijstonderzoek (N = 351) onderzochten we het mobiliserende effect van doelen bij inwoners van Noord-Nederland die te maken hebben met de negatieve effecten van aardbevingen die veroorzaakt worden door gaswinning. We maakten een onderscheid tussen collectieve- (het verminderen van gaswinning) en individuele doelen (financiële compensatie), en tussen uitkomstdoelen en doelen die het middel aangeven om de uitkomstdoelen te bereiken (beleid beïnvloeden). Daarnaast hebben we gekeken naar hoe percepties van een gedeelde mening met andere getroffen burgers versus inwoners van andere delen van Nederland de inwoners motiveerde om lid te worden van een sociale beweging en verschillende doelen om lid te worden nastreefden. Onze resultaten lieten twee mogelijke wegen tot mobilisatie zien: de eerste door de perceptie van gedeelde grieven die mensen motiveerde om zich aan te sluiten bij een sociale beweging om collectieve oplossingen na te streven; een tweede door de perceptie van deprivatie die mensen kan motiveren om invloed uit te oefenen op beleidsmakers door lid te worden van een beweging. Individuele uitkomstdoelen waren belangrijk, maar motiveerden achtergestelde burgers niet om lid te worden van een sociale beweging. We bespreken de rol van doelen als een verband tussen factoren op individueel- en mesoniveau voor de mobilisatie voor sociale bewegingen en collectieve actie.