“Free” Not to Engage: Neoliberal Ideology and Collective Action. The Case of the Yellow Vest Movement

Lola Girerd (1, 2) , Frédérique Anne Ray (3) , Daniel Priolo (3) , Olivier Codou (4) , Virginie Bonnot (1, 2)

1 LPS (URP_4471) - Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale : contextes et régulation
2 UFR Psychologie UPCité - UFR Institut de psychologie [Sociétés et Humanités] - Université Paris Cité
3 EPSYLON - Dynamique des capacités humaines et des conduites de santé
4 UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie

The purpose of this paper is to test the main hypothesis that the endorsement of neoliberal ideology, comprising beliefs and values such as personal responsibility and hedonism, is negatively associated with the engagement in the Yellow Vest (YV) movement. In a first study (N = 489), analysis of qualitative data shows that most of the YV movement grievances are system challenging. Furthermore, consistent with our hypotheses, the more participants endorsed neoliberal ideology, the less they perceived inequalities against the lower and middle classes, the less angry they felt in the face of such inequalities, the less they identified with the Yellow Vests and finally, the less they engaged in the Yellow Vest movement. In Study 2 (N = 201), the relationship between neoliberal ideology, measured in a different way, and engagement in the movement was replicated amongst a sample of participants who support the YV movement. Moreover, it appeared that this relationship was mediated by a greater sense of personal control, leading to a higher level of system justification. In fact, neoliberal ideology appears to enhance personal control, giving them a heightened sense that the system is just and legitimate. This perception, in turn, appears to undermine the politicized identification with the Yellow Vest and as a consequence, engagement in the movement.

Mots clés: neoliberal ideology; Yellow Vest movement; system justification; collective action; mixed methods

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Lola Girerd, Frédérique Anne Ray, Daniel Priolo, Olivier Codou, Virginie Bonnot. “Free” Not to Engage: Neoliberal Ideology and Collective Action. The Case of the Yellow Vest Movement. International Review of Social Psychology, 2020, 33 (1), pp.7. ⟨10.5334/irsp.363⟩. ⟨hal-02970848⟩