The Two Wings of Protection Representations: A Comparative Study of Social Representations of Protection Between Right-Wing and Left-Wing Supporters from 11 Countries

Social representations refer to collective meanings or understandings of the common sense about a given social object, which have an affective dimension. They can help explain the positions and behaviours of individuals regarding several aspects of life, including politics. Deriving from the communication established in social interactions, social representations are shared and constructed by members of a group, social category, or culture. Thus, they differ among groups. Moreover, existing social representations and their associated emotions can be used as anchors, allowing the understanding and definition of novel issues in light of familiar meanings and their correspondence with emotions. Therefore, social representations can be used to understand social reality about specific topics, for example, regarding protection issues. In this study, we will analyse differences in social representations of protection and the associated emotional dynamics of individuals supporting right and left political views. This study comprises the analysis, using the software EVOC and IRAMUTEQ, of social representations of protection held by 11267 individuals from 11 countries, obtained through the free evocation technique. We expect social representations of protection to vary among individuals with right-wing and left-wing political positions. By uncovering the collective meanings of protection and their associated emotional dynamics across opposing political positions, the results can deepen the knowledge on the protection needs of individuals and help to explain the interplay of political identity, affect, and social representations, contributing to the literature and informing the design of protective policies.