Online collective action: Procedural unfairness and action support as predictors based on a dual pathway model

Abstract

To investigate the social-psychological mechanism of online collective action, we explored the impacts of procedural unfairness and action support in accordance with the dual pathway model of coping with collective disadvantage. Our results indicated that manipulated procedural unfairness and action support independently predicted online collective action intentions in protesting against electrical power restrictions in dormitories during winter for Chinese university students. Procedural unfairness predicted this via emotionfocused coping (group-based anger) but not via problem-focused coping (group efficacy), whereas action support had a facilitative effect via both emotion- and problem-focused coping. Our findings have both theoretical and practical implications for the mobilization, organization, and prevention of and intervention in online collective action.