Factors Predicting Collective Action Tendencies: Empirical Research On Four Domestic University Students

Collective action has long been focused by the scholars in theacademic circle of crisis management, and it is also an interdisciplinaryresearch question. Currently there are plenty of theoretical studiesintroducing the existing western theories but lack of empirical studies inthe context of China. The present research aimed at explaining whypeople engaged in collective actions by exploring the factors predictingtheir collective action tendencies. Based on the existing theories, atheoretical framework of collective action tendencies combining SocialIdentification Theory with Expectancy-Value Theory was proposed, and aconceptual model was constructed. Then a questionnaire survey wasconducted among205students in four domestic universities. Through thedata analysis and structural equation modeling, the conclusion was drewas: Social identification, group efficacy and ideological motive predictcollective action tendencies, social identification predicts group anger andideological motive predicts social motive. This conclusion is inaccordance with the theoretical framework and all the key factors have been tested，and a link between the subjective factors and instrumentalmotives predicting collective action tendencies has been built up. It alsolays a solid theoretical foundation for predicting collective actions in realworld and guiding collective actions into a well-organized path for thegovernments.