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Social norms are typically defined as rules and behaviours that guide or restrict unwritten or unenacted social behaviour in a group or society (Cialdini & Trost, 1998). Also, social norms are generally related to a perceived social pressure to engage in or not engage in certain behaviours (Ajzen, 1991). It is common for social norms to work in an implicit way, relying on people's perceptions of appropriate behaviours to drive behavioural patterns and intents, but they may also be based on direct and explicit communication among group members (Hogg and Reid, 2006). Social norms have been classified as descriptive or injunctive. The descriptive norms are what most people do (Cialdini et al., 1990). In other words, it is social norms that direct behaviour with the perception of how others will behave (Cialdini et al., 1991). The injunctive norms also called the prescriptive norms (Cialdini et al., 1991, p. 203), are norms approved or disapproved by the majority of others. The imperative meaning of norms is a set of rules or beliefs that constitute morally acceptable or unacceptable behaviour. On the other hand, Sparkman and Walton (2017, 2019) examined social norms as dynamic versus static norms. Static descriptive norms are social norms that inform about the prevalence or frequency of a behaviour at a given time, while dynamic descriptive norms are social norms that describe how people's behaviour changes over time. In other words, dynamic norms draw attention to the change in attitudes, opinions or beliefs over time. This project aims to explore the relationship between dynamic versus static norms and target behaviour. We will investigate how and to what extent majority members would participate in activism to benefit refugees and the perceptions of majority members about the related norms.

Social norms are a determining factor in individual behaviour. They direct individual behaviour assuming a regulatory role for the individual's goals (Cialdini & Trost, 1998; Ajzen, 1991). Witnessing (seeing, hearing and feeling) what others do affects individual behaviour and thoughts. As such, people adapt more easily to normative knowledge about the attitudes and behaviours of others at present. On the other hand, Sparkman and Walton (2017) differentetiate between dynamic and static social norms. While static norms are information about the prevalence or frequency of a behaviour (descriptive norms) or the attitudes of others toward a behaviour (injunctive norms) at a given point in time (Cialdini et al., 1991), dynamic norms are information about the collective change in behaviour (Sparkman & Walton, 2017). In other words, dynamic norms draw attention to the change in attitudes, opinions or beliefs over time. This project aims to explore the relationship between the norms of human behaviour that change over time (dynamic norms) and the current norms (static norms). This project will focus on how and to what extent refugee activism (e.g., organizing marches, demonstrations, or petitions) is supported by the majority group to improve refugees' group rights, and majority group members' perception of the possible norm.

The present research investigates the individual and aggregate level determinants of support for thin-centred ideology parties across 23 European countries. Employing a multilevel modelling approach, we analysed European Social Survey data round 7 2014 (N = 44000). Our findings show that stronger identification with one’s country and confidence in one’s ability to influence the politics positively but perceiving the system as satisfactory and responsive; trusting the institutions and people, and having positive attitudes toward minorities, i.e., immigrants and refugees, negatively predict support for populist and single issue parties. The level of human development and perceptions of corruption at the country level moderate these effects. Thus, we provide the first evidence that the populist surge is triggered by populist actors’ capacity to simultaneously invoke vertical, “ordinary” people against “the elites”, and horizontal, “us” against “threatening aliens”, categories of people as well as the sovereignty of majority over minorities. These categories and underlying social psychological processes of confidence, trust, and threats are moderated by the general level of human development and corruption perceptions in a country. It is, therefore, likely that voting for populist parties will increase as the liberally democratic countries continue to prosper and offer better opportunities for human development. Stronger emphasis on safeguarding the integrity of the economic and democratic institutions, as our findings imply, and preserving their ethical and honest, i.e., un-corrupt, nature can keep this surge under check.