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Social identification moderates the effect of crowd density on safety at the Hajj

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 17:41 authored by Hani Alnabulsi, John DruryJohn Drury
Crowd safety is a major concern for those attending and managing mass gatherings such as the annual Hajj or pilgrimage to Makkah. One threat to crowd safety at such events is crowd density. However, recent research also suggests that psychological membership of crowds can have positive benefits. We tested the hypothesis that the effect of density on safety might vary depending on whether there is shared social identification in the crowd. We surveyed 1194 pilgrims at the Holy Mosque, Makkah, during the 2012 Hajj. Analysis of the data showed that the negative effect of crowd density on reported safety was moderated by social identification with the crowd. Whereas low identifiers reported reduced safety with greater crowd density, high identifiers reported increased safety with greater crowd density. Mediation analysis suggested that a reason for these moderation effects was the perception that other crowd members were supportive. Differences in reported safety across national groups (Arab countries and Iran compared to the rest) were also explicable in terms of crowd identification and perceived support. These findings support a social identity account of crowd behaviour and offer a novel perspective on crowd safety management.

Funding

Ministry of the Interior, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

ISSN

0027-8424

Publisher

National Academy of Sciences of the United States

Issue

25

Volume

111

Page range

9091-9096

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2014-07-01

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2014-07-01

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