Black Lives Matter or All Lives Matter? Exploring the Role of Intergroup Contact Valence and Intergroup Threat in Supporting the Two Movements

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is often referred to as the civil rights movement of our time. With the rise of BLM, the alternative movement of All Lives Matter (ALM) developed as a counterforce. This study examined the role of the valence of intergroup contact and of perceived realistic and symbolic threat in supporting BLM and ALM. A correlational study was carried out (N = 375) with predominantly British participants who self-identified as White. The results showed that support for the two movements was negatively related to one another. Positive contact with Black people was negatively associated with support for ALM over BLM; negative contact was associated positively with support for ALM over BLM. Both symbolic and realistic threat correlated with support for ALM over BLM. However, only symbolic threat emerged as a mediator explaining the relationship between contact and ALM over BLM support. This pattern of results remained even when controlling for political orientation. The results are discussed in the context of solidarity-based collective action and current approaches to understanding allyship.