The rise of publics in sociopolitical issues: integrating the social identity approach into the situational theory of problem solving

Purpose Diverse organizations, including corporations, increasingly advocate for sociopolitical issues to engage their publics. These issues often revolve around the interests, identities and dynamics of specific social groups, necessitating a deeper examination of publics’ social identities. Thus, this study aims to explore how individuals’ social identities, such as group memberships and ingroup identification, drive individuals to become active publics. Design/methodology/approach Drawing from the social identity approach and the situational theory of problem solving (STOPS), an online survey of 965 participants from two racial groups was conducted to examine the impacts of social group memberships and ingroup identification on problem recognition, involvement recognition, constraint recognition, referent criterion, situational motivation and attitude toward race relations and the Black Lives Matter movement. Findings The results of multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling analyses revealed that social group membership and ingroup identification are crucial in shaping publics’ situational perceptions of sociopolitical issues. The effects of ingroup identification on situational, motivational and attitudinal perceptions significantly differed between African American and White American groups, highlighting the importance of considering group dynamics. Originality/value This study underscores the value of integrating the social identity approach into public relations and corporate communication research to elucidate diverse publics’ socio-psychological processes in response to sociopolitical issues. The findings equip practitioners with deeper insights into social group dynamics, allowing them to adapt their communication efforts to better engage and mobilize different publics, ultimately enhancing the impact of their advocacy efforts.