The Mobilizing Power of (Dis)Respect: How Politicians’ Responses Influence Youth Pro-Environmental Activism

This study examined how respectful or disrespectful responses by politicians to the environmental activism of young citizens influenced those youths’ willingness to continue their activities. We also explored the roles of emotions, identity labeling, and the type of activism (i.e., normative vs. non-normative). Three preregistered vignette experiments were conducted with young Czech participants aged 18 to 25 ( N s = 230, 363, and 331, respectively). Results showed that disrespectful political responses decreased intentions to engage in normative activism – but only when emotions were not considered. When emotional reactions were included, anger elicited by disrespectful responses counteracted the demotivating effect of disrespect, eliminating the reduction in activism intentions. A similar pattern emerged when politicians used a potentially negative “environmentalist” label to describe youth activists. These effects were specific to normative forms of activism; no consistent effects were observed for non-normative activism.