Fear silences opposition supporters in Zimbabwe

Does fear keep citizens silent? This article explores how emotions affect dissent in autocracies.

In a lab-in-the-field experiment with 671 opposition supporters across Zimbabwe, researchers induced mild fear to test its impact on political behavior. The results reveal that fear significantly reduces both hypothetical and actual expressions of dissent by large margins.

* Context: Opposition supporters in Zimbabwe facing repression risk

* Findings:

• Fear treatment substantially decreased willingness to dissent (measured 69% reduction)
• Experimental design successfully manipulated emotions affecting political decisions
• Behavioral Shift: Moving from hypothetical scenarios to real-world actions intensified fear's suppression effect.
• Mental State Changes:
• Induced fear increased pessimism about political parameters
• Fear heightened risk aversion among participants

This research demonstrates that emotions interact meaningfully with strategic calculations in autocratic contexts. The findings suggest repression tactics may paradoxically reduce opposition by triggering widespread emotional shutdown.