Between Bridges and Walls: Social Representations and Emotions of Protective Policies in 11 countries

This study examines the central elements of social representations (SRs), that is common sense meanings, of protective policies across 11 countries and the emotional anchoring associated with these SRs. Data from 12418 participants were collected, providing a cross-country perspective, which is absent from the literature. Congruent with the Central Core Theory, SRs were elicited through a free recall task and analysed with prototypical analysis in Evoc and IRaMuTeQ software, allowing the distinction of central and peripheral elements contained in SRs. After assessing the central core of SRs of protective policies mentioned by participants of each country, the frequency of central elements was verified to detect transnational patterns. Our preliminary findings showed a transversal presence of the term no-idea across countries, which may reflect the uncertainty or lack of salience of the concept. Results also showed a major tendency for the central core to be focused on securitization against direct violence (police and military) and, in general terms, related to security. Conversely, the protective policies focused on the protection against structural and cultural threats (such as welfare, environment, and health) were less common. Fear, trust, and distrust were evoked by participants of all the countries, and calmness was present in nine of them. Moreover, the obtained findings may point to protective policies that are more salient or important to participants. It may also shed light on the relationship between securitization and (both structural and cultural forms of) protection as expressed through SRs. Furthermore, it can provide insights into the emotions that influence the shared meanings underlying protective policies.