Motivating neighborhood-focused health activism: exploring the nexus of collective efficacy, social hope, and neighborhood activism

Research into activism–collective actions to challenge and change shared threats to wellbeing–tends to focus on extraordinary activists, instead of ordinary people. Neighborhood residents can play critical roles in such efforts, engaging in activism to address issues shared by residents within their neighborhoods, and communication could play a role in inspiring such efforts. By expanding communication infrastructure theory, this study (N = 401) aimed to advance our understanding of how message-evoked hope and neighborhood-related perceptions facilitate residents’ engagement in neighborhood-focused activism. The results showed that more connections to a neighborhood’s storytelling network, stronger collective efficacy, and stronger social hope lead to stronger activism engagement. The discussion highlights the theoretical and practical implications of findings in engaging communities surrounding a shared problem.