How heterogeneous social influences affect tolerance of “violent” tactics: The case of Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Bill Movement

Under what conditions do violent tactics receive public support? Focusing on the process of social influence, this article utilizes a survey on the 2019 Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Bill Movement to test how social interactions with people with different orientations toward the movement (opposing, neutral, supportive) relate to individuals’ tolerance of violent tactics. Social interactions with neutral people generated the largest effect, as such interactions made people particularly intolerant of violent tactics. Interactions with opposition networks also led people to disapprove of violent tactics, although the association is weaker than interactions with neutral people. Interactions with movement supporters did not make people condemn violent tactics but instead increased their tolerance. Additional analyses show that such interaction effects hold across political affiliations. We discuss the implications for public opinion and democracy.