Conditional pro-sociality and violence in Northern Ireland

We propose a model of pro-sociality and attitudes toward reconciliation as a reaction to political violence in Northern Ireland. We suggest that pro-social behavior and reconciliation with one’s adversaries are strongly influenced by the level of violence in society. When violence increases, and people experience more insecurity, they will be less likely to change their views of the ‘other side’ in a positive way, but more likely to find common ground with their in-group. Conversely, when violence diminishes, we suggest they will be more willing to engage in pro-social behavior. We utilize the Northern Ireland Life and Times survey and data on political violence to investigate how changes in attitudes are influenced by levels of violence. We analyze how levels of violence influence pro-sociality to assess both general, long-term trends as well as much more granular analyses that unpack the types of actions and actors that influence this behavior.