War, Emotions, and Moral Duty: A Study of Russian Citizens' (Non)protest Behavior

• In Event: Emerging Scholars Lightning Round: Graduate Student Research: Contemporary Issues in (Non)Democratic Governance

Abstract

Purpose What influence do emotions and moral attitudes associated with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine have on the (non)protest behavior of Russian citizens? The major hypothesis posits that the combination of anger and shame will have a positive impact on an individual's sense of moral obligation to protest, thereby increasing the likelihood of actual anti-war political behavior.
Background While some argue that escalating international conflicts lead to the 'rally around the flag' effect, others emphasize the heightened risks of delegitimization of power. This study aims to contribute to addressing this issue, drawing on insights from the Hot Cognition Theory and Intergroup Emotions Theory.
Methods Survey data were collected (N = 539), and a list experiment was employed to measure the variable of political participation, aiming to reduce potential preference falsification.
Logistic regression was used to assess the influence of emotions on moral attitudes toward the war in Ukraine, and a multivariate regression model with ML estimator was employed to evaluate the impact of moral attitudes on the type of political behavior.
Results Anger, in contrast to fear, is positively associated with the sense of moral duty. Pride and shame exert influence on moral support and condemnation of military actions, respectively. The sense of moral duty, unlike the sense of moral right, increases the likelihood of active political participation, including protest behavior.
Conclusions Shame and anger, positively influencing the sense of moral obligation to protest, increase the likelihood of engaging in anti-war protest behavior. Despite the non-representativeness of the collected data in a regional perspective, it can be hypothesized that the low level of protest activity in contemporary Russia is explained by the dominance of pride and fear.

Keywords group-based emotions, protest behavior, survey experiment, moral psychology, war in Ukraine

Author

• Alina Khamatdinova, Washington State University