Different but also alike? lngroup-outgroup phenomena among cyclists and e-scooter riders.

Abstract

Against the background of an increasing number of cyclists sharing the infrastructure with an also rising number of e-scooter riders in Germany, the question of considerate coexistence among both modes of transportation, especially on shared infrastructure (on- or off-road) arises. In various contexts (e.g. work, education), studies have shown that social identity has an impact on how members of an ingroup ('us') and outgroup (''them') are perceived. These studies are based on social identity theory, which postulates members of the ingroup are more likely to be favored and members of the outgroup are more likely discriminated and stereotyped. This ingroup favorism or outgroup discrimination can refer to attitudes, cognition, and behavior. Initial research in the traffic context by, on which the present study builds, suggests that social identity also plays a role in traffic. Apart from that, research on social identity in traffic is scarce. The aim of the study is to determine whether the role as cyclist or e-scooter rider in traffic can serve as social identity, and subsequently whether ingroup-outgroup phenomena, such as ingroup favorism and effects of outgroup discrimination can be observed. [from Introduction