Victim-focused political apology predicts political support via perceived sincerity, trust and positive emotional climate: The case of the 2018 bushfire in Attica

Abstract

Political leaders tend to apologize for wrongdoings. This study focuses on a disaster that occurred on July 2018 in east Attica, Greece, where wildfires destroyed houses and left dozens of people dead. Two pilot studies and one main study were conducted testing perceptions of apology as sincere, perceived trust, positive emotional climate and participants’ support towards the governmental policies. Participants (N = 180 for the two pilot studies, N = 222 for the main study) were recruited from the disaster zone of east Attica. The focus is on two key forms of political apology, a self or offender-focused apology and a self-other or victim-focused apology. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the conditions equivalent to each of the two forms of apology, that is either in a victim-focused apology condition or an offender-focused apology, or a control condition, where a neutral image was shown to participants. Results showed a positive association between victim-focused apology, compared to offender-focused apology, and political support towards the government via increased perceived sincerity, trust and positive emotional climate. Political and psychological implications related to different forms of public apologies are discussed.

Disaster Risk Management and Spatial Planning: Evidence from the Fire-Stricken Area of Mati, Greece

“…Furthermore, vulnerability to fire was high in poor-quality buildings and informal housing that constituted a high percentage of the building stock. Last but not least, the chaotic intermix of housing, dense vegetation, and challenging topography affected both the fire spread and emergency evacuation [65]. In addition, the layout of the settlement, especially the complex urban tissue, as well as the lack of alternative routes to exit the settlement, hampered emergency evacuation and access of first responders.…”

“…Twenty-one persons are currently on trial for the death of 103 people and the injuring of 32. To ease public disappointment and anger, the Greek Prime Minister offered a public apology and visited the disaster area to directly interact with victims [65], where he announced that the government plans to take action for the recovery of the area and to support those who were affected. It should be noted that very soon after the disaster, public dialogue on the causes of the disaster brought up, among others, problems relating to the spatial development of Mati.…”