Our Right to a Steady Ground: Perceived Rights Violations Motivate Collective Action Against Human-Caused Earthquakes

We surveyed 351 inhabitants of a part of the Netherlands that suffers from gas-extraction-induced (and thus "human-caused") earthquakes. Based on geological reports, we distinguished between three differently affected subregions. We first tested whether being more strongly, objectively affected also implies a stronger subjective disadvantage. Second, we tested whether objective disadvantage moderates which type of perceived rights violations (i.e., perceived violations of personal/family, or collective rights to safety, health, and financial stability) predict collective action intentions. In line with our hypotheses, the participants living in the objectively most affected area perceived their rights to be violated the most, and their collective action intentions were motivated by perceived violations of personal/family rights. In contrast, the collective action intentions of those in the least affected areas were motivated by perceived violations of collective rights. We discuss the importance of understanding the interplay between objective disadvantage, perceived rights violations, and collective action.