The Effect of Procedural Justice on Online Collective Action Intentions: The Roles of Group Relative Deprivation and Group Identity

Zou Hong; Xiong Meng; Chen Wanyi; Zhou Zongkui

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250122

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Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (1) : 231-241. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250122

Research on Social Psychological Service in the New Era

The Effect of Procedural Justice on Online Collective Action Intentions: The Roles of Group Relative Deprivation and Group Identity

Zou Hong^1,2, Xiong Meng^1,3, Chen Wanyi⁴, Zhou Zongkui³

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Abstract

The relative deprivation theory suggests that the feeling of unfairness induced by intergroup comparison influences collective action through group relative deprivation. Although previous studies have confirmed the effect of fairness on collective action, it remains unclear how procedural justice affects online collective action intentions and under what conditions this effect is stronger. Online collective action, as a new form of traditional collective action, not only has a great impact on the Internet space, but also may impact the real world, guide public opinion, and may negatively affect the harmonious development of society. Therefore, the first aim of the current study was to establish the situational material of procedural justice in the Chinese cultural context. The second aim of the current study was to explore the cognitive-emotional mechanism of online collective action intentions. The last aim of the current study was to examine the moderating effect of group identification on the cognitive-emotional mechanism of group relative deprivation.
In the preliminary experiment (N = 128), we used a single-factor between-subjects design to examine the manipulation effectiveness of procedural justice using the “dormitory allocation problem” as the situational material. In Experiment 1 (N = 136), we also used a single-factor between-subjects design to explore how high and low procedural justice influence online collective action intentions through group relative deprivation. Experiment 2 (N = 128) used a 2 (procedural justice: high vs. low) × 2 (group identification: high vs. low) between-subjects design to further examine the individual differences in the mediating role of group relative deprivation. By dividing participants into high and low subgroups of procedural justice and group identification, we tested the influence of the interaction between procedural justice and group identification on relative group deprivation, which in turn influences online collective action intentions.
The results are as follows: 1) we successfully manipulated procedural justice by integrating the localized procedural justice principle with the three core principles of procedural justice. Individuals in the high procedural justice group (M = 3.54, SD = .88) perceived higher procedural justice (t [126] = -8.24, p <.001, Cohen’s d = 1.56) than those in the low procedural justice group (M = 2.15, SD = .90). 2) Group relative deprivation was found to play a mediating role in the influence of procedural justice on online collective action intentions (95% CI = [-.29, -.06]): low procedural justice would cause higher group relative deprivation (β = -.05, t = -6.94, p <.001), thereby contributing to higher levels of online collective action intentions (β =.35, t = 3.67, p <.001). 3) Group identification performed a mediated moderating role on the influence of different levels of procedural justice on group relative deprivation (β = -.17, t = -2.35, p < .05): under conditions of high-group identification, procedural justice had an indirect adverse effect on online collective action intentions via group relative deprivation (95% CI = [-.52, -.10]), whereas under conditions of low-group identification, the mediating effect of group relative deprivation between procedural justice and online collective action intentions would be smaller (95% CI = [-.30, -.10]).
In conclusion, from the perspective of the interaction between the external environment (procedural justice) and the psychological process (group identity), this study explored the influence of procedural justice on group cognition, emotion, and behavior, as well as its boundary conditions. In particular, the current study examined when the fair process effect was stronger from the perspective of group identification, providing a new theoretical basis and empirical support for the individual’s psychological and behavioral response in the context of inter-group interaction, and having important implications for future research on inter-group relationship. These findings offer important implications for preventing the occurrence and development of online collective action and provide important references and effective practical guidance for promoting fair management practices and building a harmonious society.

Key words

procedural justice / online collective active intentions / group relative deprivation / group identification

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Zou Hong, Xiong Meng, Chen Wanyi, Zhou Zongkui. The Effect of Procedural Justice on Online Collective Action Intentions: The Roles of Group Relative Deprivation and Group Identity[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2025, 48(1): 231-241 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250122

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