Abstract

To prevent recurring social disasters, proactive civic engagement demanding fundamental improvements for the disaster safety system is essential. Based on this premise, the present study identified factors that affect individuals’ intention to engage in system-improvement behavior through two studies. Specifically, we investigated whether political orientation affects individuals’ willingness to participate in system-improvement actions aimed at preventing social disasters such as the Itaewon disaster and examined the mediating role of system-justifying memory-memories that exonerate or avoid systemic flaws-related to a past social disaster (i.e., the Sewol ferry disaster). In a preliminary study, we collected collective memories associated with the Sewol ferry disaster from a sample of South Korean college students (N = 27). The findings confirmed the presence of system-justifying elements in these collective memories and identified their key components. The main study tested the mediation hypothesis with a sample of South Korean adults (N = 200). The results indicated that individuals with more conservative political orientations exhibited lower intentions to engage in system-improvement behaviors aimed at preventing disasters such as the Itaewon disaster. This relationship was mediated by the system-justifying memory associated with the Sewol disaster. These findings suggest that political orientation influences collective memory of social disasters, which in turn plays a crucial role in shaping individuals’ intention to participate in collective action for systemic change. Based on these results, we discuss the role of collective memory in shaping system-improvement behavior in the context of social disasters and suggest directions for future research.