INPSY members Jan Šerek, Dana Seryjová Juhová, Michal Mužík, Jakub Brojáč, Zuzana Scott a Bronislav Farkač looked at how reactions from politicians are reflected in activism.
The researchers had over 900 young Czechs aged 18-25 read a fictional story. A group of young people take a stand against an environmentally harmful decision by the city hall (specifically, they write a petition, write to the newspaper or come to the council). The mayor then publicly reacts to this behavior either in a friendly and respectful manner or in a dismissive and condescending manner. Participants indicated how strongly they would like to continue after such a reaction and described their emotions.
Contempt from a politician did not in itself reduce willingness to engage
A politician's contemptuous response demotivates citizens, but it also provokes anger. This proved to be a powerful driver of further activism. If anger emerged in people, it was able to mobilize them to such an extent that it overcame the effect of the feeling of disrespect.
The label “environmentalists” worked similarly. When the mayor used it, albeit politely, the participants perceived it as a signal of a negative attitude and reacted similarly to direct contempt. Namely, less with enthusiasm, more with anger.
The effects only concerned common forms of activism, such as petitions, demonstrations or media campaigns. The politicians’ reactions had no influence on the willingness to take more radical actions. These apparently depend more on the stable personality traits of the activists than on the context of the situation.
What does this mean for practice?
The results of the study therefore indicate that not only helpful and respectful communication supports the willingness of young people to engage in standard democratic ways. Contempt or stigmatizing expressions can also strengthen activism, as they provoke anger that compensates for the deterrent effects of negative reactions.
From the perspective of supporting young people's civic participation in environmental issues, it may therefore be important not to suppress their anger at some responses from politicians. Indeed, the willingness to be active is increased by the helpfulness of politicians, but in its absence, a similar role seems to be played by "healthy anger" at their unhelpfulness.
Recommended citation
Šerek, J., Seryjová Juhová, D., Mužík, M., Brojáč, J., Scott, Z., & Farkač, B. (2026). The Mobilizing Power of (Dis)Respect: How Politicians' Responses Influence Youth Pro-Environmental Activism. Environment and Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1177/00139165261443103
