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Explaining public support for violence against politicians during conflict: Evidence from a panel study in Israel

Author

Listed:
  • Julia Elad-Strenger

    (196687Department of Political Studies, Bar-Ilan University)

  • Brian J Hall

    (Department of Psychology, 59193University of Macau)

  • Stevan E Hobfoll

    (STAR – Stress, Anxiety and Resilience Consultants)

  • Daphna Canetti

    (School of Political Sciences, University of Haifa)

Abstract

What drives citizens’ support for violence against domestic political actors? Despite its potentially devastating consequences, there is surprisingly little research on the antecedents of this unique form of political violence. Building upon recent insights on the psychological implications of exposure to conflict on support for political violence, we examined the motivations underlying public support for violence against politicians in the context of protracted conflict. Using a two-wave panel design among Jewish-Israelis, we examined the interactive effects of conflict-induced perceived threat, psychological distress, and political orientation on support for violence against politicians. Consistent with previous findings on the psychological implications of conflict, our findings suggest that conflict-induced threat perceptions play an important role in predicting support for violence against politicians. Nevertheless, our findings point to important boundary conditions to these effects: the strength of the relationship between perceived threat and attitudes towards political violence is qualified by the level of chronic conflict-related psychological distress, and the direction of the effects of perceived threat is qualified by individuals’ self-placement on the left-right continuum. More specifically, we found that perceived threat increased rightists’ support and decreases leftists’ support for violence against politicians, only under high, but not low, conflict-related psychological distress. The main conclusion of this study is that support for violence against politicians can be seen as an ideology-driven protective strategy against the negative psychological implications of exposure to violent conflict. By pointing to the importance of understanding the interactive role of psychological and political factors in determining public support for such acts, our findings therefore contribute to the understanding of a relatively understudied phenomenon with potentially catastrophic effects on political stability.

Suggested Citation

  • Julia Elad-Strenger & Brian J Hall & Stevan E Hobfoll & Daphna Canetti, 2021. "Explaining public support for violence against politicians during conflict: Evidence from a panel study in Israel," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 58(3), pages 417-432, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:joupea:v:58:y:2021:i:3:p:417-432
    DOI: 10.1177/0022343320905355
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shamir, Michal & Arian, Asher, 1994. "Competing Values and Policy Choices: Israeli Public Opinion on Foreign and Security Affairs," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(2), pages 249-271, April.
    2. Browne, Mark J & Hoyt, Robert E, 2000. "The Demand for Flood Insurance: Empirical Evidence," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 291-306, May.
    3. Eran Zaidise & Daphna Canetti-Nisim & Ami Pedahzur, 2007. "Politics of God or Politics of Man? The Role of Religion and Deprivation in Predicting Support for Political Violence in Israel," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 55, pages 499-521, October.
    4. Eran Zaidise & Daphna Canetti‐Nisim & Ami Pedahzur, 2007. "Politics of God or Politics of Man? The Role of Religion and Deprivation in Predicting Support for Political Violence in Israel," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 55(3), pages 499-521, October.
    5. Marc Hetherington & Elizabeth Suhay, 2011. "Authoritarianism, Threat, and Americans’ Support for the War on Terror," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 55(3), pages 546-560, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Rebekah Herrick & Sue Thomas, 2023. "Research note: Rise in violence against U.S. mayors: 2017 to 2021," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 104(2), pages 81-91, March.
    2. Alrababah, Ala & Casalis, Marine & Masterson, Daniel & Hangartner, Dominik & Wehrli, & Weinstein, Jeremy, 2023. "Reducing Attrition in Phone-based Panel Surveys: A Web Application to Facilitate Best Practices and Semi-Automate Survey Workflow," OSF Preprints gyz3h, Center for Open Science.

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