Do Americans Want Companies to Get Involved in Social Movements?
Disciplines
Social Psychology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Social justice movements have occurred in the U.S. as methods for social groups to bring awareness to and address inequities in the country. Psychological research has spent a lot of time understanding how social justice movements impact society and its members. In the US, the Black Lives Matter movement focuses on racial injustice and forces Americans to consider how they view and approach prejudice toward racial minorities. Industrial and Organizational Psychology has also examined how identities outside of a company (e.g., race, gender) impact people's behaviors towards and within a company. Little research has specifically focused on how people respond to companies when they respond to social justice movements or current events. The goal of this research is to assess factors that impact perceptions of diversity statements from companies and how these perceptions may impact people’s engagement with the companies and social movements themselves. We predict that people will view companies differently based on their own opinions and social groups. Specifically, people who are already active in social justice and who have friends and family who engage in social justice will like companies that support social justice more than people who are not active in social justice. The effect will also be present when participants are asked how comfortable they are with interacting with said company. Overall, the current research will help researchers understand the role companies have in social justice movements.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Psychological Science
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Danica Kulibert
Do Americans Want Companies to Get Involved in Social Movements?
Social justice movements have occurred in the U.S. as methods for social groups to bring awareness to and address inequities in the country. Psychological research has spent a lot of time understanding how social justice movements impact society and its members. In the US, the Black Lives Matter movement focuses on racial injustice and forces Americans to consider how they view and approach prejudice toward racial minorities. Industrial and Organizational Psychology has also examined how identities outside of a company (e.g., race, gender) impact people's behaviors towards and within a company. Little research has specifically focused on how people respond to companies when they respond to social justice movements or current events. The goal of this research is to assess factors that impact perceptions of diversity statements from companies and how these perceptions may impact people’s engagement with the companies and social movements themselves. We predict that people will view companies differently based on their own opinions and social groups. Specifically, people who are already active in social justice and who have friends and family who engage in social justice will like companies that support social justice more than people who are not active in social justice. The effect will also be present when participants are asked how comfortable they are with interacting with said company. Overall, the current research will help researchers understand the role companies have in social justice movements.