Weissenbacher, Vera Isabella (2022) Economy versus Climate - The construction of polar opposites? A qualitative investigation of extreme viewpoints. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Media and research alike have made polarization a key concern. Indeed, signs of polarization can be observed in increased numbers of protests, voting behavior and social media. However, research suggests that attitudes themselves have not become more radical over the years. What then brings about this polarized expression of extreme opinions? The aim of the present study is to provide an in-depth look into the motives of people who express themselves extremely. We did this by conducting qualitative interviews with participants (N=6) who previously expressed themselves extremely on an attitude survey about climate policy and the economy. We found that the main reasons people stated for being active in this manner online were to (a) influence others by providing information (b) expressing their emotions and support for others and (c) informing themselves. Further, common themes we identified were (a) a strong sense of urgency (b) negative views of the government (c) outgroup prejudice towards farmers and (d) assumptions about other people. Our results are partly in-line with prior research about social media usage, but also offer new insights for possible research avenues, such as the meaning of urgency in social media action or the translation of moral exporting, belief superiority and social vigilantism to a social media context.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Supervisor name: | Postmes, T.T. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Applied Social Psychology (ASP) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Sep 2022 09:28 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Sep 2022 09:28 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/1407 |
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