We’re not as great as we used to be
Perceived national status threat and the desire for strong leaders
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6426666 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Octavia Ionescu (0000-0001-7246-9236, Université Paris Cité, corresponding author), Frank Mols (0000-0003-2472-2131, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia), Belén Álvarez (0000-0003-0436-2589, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia), Hema Preya Selvanathan (0000-0002-6917-0951, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia), Charlie R Crimston (0000-0002-4529-786X, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia), Jolanda Jetten (0000-0002-7588-5355, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 29-49 |
| Publication date | 2024-07-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Group Processes & Intergroup Relations (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1368-4302 • E-ISSN: 1461-7188 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/13684302241265236 |
| OpenAlex | W4401193026 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 54 |
We examined whether perceived national status threat—i.e., perceiving that one’s country’s status on the international scene is in decline—predicts increased desire for a strong conservative or progressive leader through greater national nostalgia and collective angst. A pilot study on strong leaders’ speeches from the 2017 French presidential election campaign first revealed that both conservative and progressive strong leaders use the status threat narrative, albeit in another form. In four quantitative surveys conducted across France, Malaysia and Chile, we then found that national status threat predicted increased desire for both conservative and progressive strong leaders. In France and Chile, but not Malaysia, the underlying path was contingent on the type of leader, such that nostalgia predicted increased desire for a conservative but not a progressive strong leader. Although correlational, our data suggest that decline narratives might provide a fertile ground for the desire for diverse forms of strong leadership
Narrative · National election · Political science · Politics · Presidential election · Presidential system · Jewish Identity and Society · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Psychology · Social Psychology
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Advancing the social identity theory of leadership
Intergroup Emotions and Intergroup Relations
Longing for the country's good old days
G*Power 3
Self and Collective
Status threat, not economic hardship, explains the 2016 presidential vote
Understanding Support for Populist Radical Right Parties
How being rooted in the past can shape the future
Need for cognitive closure and desire for cultural tightness mediate the effect of concern about ecological threats on the need for strong leadership
The Association Between Threat and Politics Depends on the Type of Threat, the Political Domain, and the Country
Longing for the “good old days” of our country
Political-Ideological Differences in Cultural Pessimism and Nostalgia Reflect People’s Evaluation of Their Nation’s Historical Developments
More Diverse Yet Less Tolerant? How the Increasingly Diverse Racial Landscape Affects White Americans’ Racial Attitudes
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Materialist and post-materialist concerns and the wish for a strong leader in 27 countries
Right vs. Left
Status Threat, Social Concerns, and Conservative Media
Left and right populism compared
The effects of racial status threat on White Americans’ support for Donald Trump
Divergent effects of system justification salience on the academic self-assessments of men and women
The threat of increasing diversity
Collective angst and group continuity as predictors of collective action for progressive city policies
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No guts, no glory
Nostalgia for America's past can buffer collective guilt
The past as a determinant of the present
What mediation analysis can (not) do
Exclusionary vs. Inclusionary Populism
Things I have learned (so far)
Threat, Attraction to Group, and Need for Strong Leadership
Moral Polarization Predicts Support for Authoritarian and Progressive Strong Leaders via the Perceived Breakdown of Society
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Distributive Justice for Others, Collective Angst, and Support for Exclusion of Immigrants
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When are Explicit Racial Appeals Accepted? Examining the Role of Racial Status Threat
Do needs for security and certainty predict cultural and economic conservatism? A cross-national analysis
Myth and mobilisation
Regaining In-Group Continuity in Times of Anxiety About the Group's Future
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |