Collective action is one route to affirming the value of one’s group when social comparisons to another group prove unfavourable. Collective action frames are sets of collective beliefs that serve to create a state of mind in which participation in collective action appears meaningful.

Identification (1) and endorsement of social ideologies that may support or undermine the position of one’s ethnic group in society (2) affect a person’s orientation towards collective action. The strength of identification with one’s group is predictive of willingness to participate in future collective action.

Concerns for the collective good (1), concerns for social approval (2) and concerns for individual rewards (3) predict collective action. The relative status of a group can shape the actions of its members.

Social identity theory states that groups that see themselves at a relative disadvantage in comparison with some other group are most likely to act collectively to precipitate change. Groups that are less permeable are more likely to engage in collective action.

The ideological asymmetry hypothesis (part of the social dominance theory) states that members of high-status groups will be more invested in maintaining current hierarchical relationships than members of low-status groups. Group identification should thus be positively related to the endorsement of hierarchy-enhancing ideologies among members of high-status social groups. This relationship is opposite in people from low-status groups (i.e. they endorse ideologies that do not enhance the hierarchy).

Multiculturalism refers to an ideological position that supports ethnic diversity and that acknowledges and respects minority group cultures. This means that low-status groups are more likely to endorse multiculturalism.

The degree to which a person perceives and supports the existence of a status hierarchy within the society influences one’s tendency toward collective action. The support for ideological positions may affect one’s willingness to engage in collective action through its impact on group identification.

Assimilation refers to the strategy when arriving in a new culture where a person abandons one’s heritage and adopts the host culture. Cultural maintenance refers to a strategy in which members of the group attempt to preserve their culture even as they take actions to enhance their conditions. The cultural maintenance strategy is consistent with the goals of multiculturalism.

An ideology of diversity could facilitate collective action on behalf of one’s group. Ethnic group identification is positively related to an orientation toward collective action.

Identification mediates the relationship between ideology and collective action orientation. Social inequality and/or diversity beliefs predicted ethnic group identification and collective action orientation.

The beliefs about social diversity and social inequality predict collective action orientation and are mediated by identification with ethnic group. This holds in different degrees for different groups:

1. White natives
   The endorsement of social inequality is positively associated with ethnic group identification. This, in turn, is positively associated with collective action orientation.
2. White immigrants
   The greater endorsement of social diversity is associated with stronger ethnic group identification. This, in turn, is associated with greater orientation toward collective action.
3. Black and Latino natives
   The endorsement of social inequality is negatively associated with strength of identification with the ethnic group. This (i.e. ethnic group identification), in turn, is positively associated with collective action orientation.
4. Black and Latino immigrants
   The support for social diversity is positively associated with ethnic group identification. This, in turn, is positively associated with collective action orientation.

Ethnic group identification mediated the relationship between ideology and collective action orientation for all groups.

For immigrants, endorsement of social diversity beliefs was associated with greater ethnic group identification, which was associated with greater orientation towards collective action. For white natives, the greater endorsement of social inequality was associated with greater ethnic group identification, which was associated with greater collective action orientation. For non-white natives, the greater rejection of social inequality was associated with greater ethnic group identification, which was associated with collective action orientation.

An orientation toward collective action on behalf of one’s group is common in multicultural societies. However, the path to and predictors of that orientation depend on a group’s position and history within the society. Groups at the top of the status hierarchy find social inequality less objectionable than groups at the bottom of the status hierarchy.

High status groups are less likely to endorse multiculturalism and more likely to favour assimilation.