1. Dr John Drury & Dr Chris Cocking Crowd psychology: Practical implications In association with: University of SussexBrighton University

2. Dr John Drury & Dr Chris Cocking Crowd psychology: Practical implications

3. Re-cap: Effects of shared social identity on crowd behaviour What we know: 1.There is shared understanding 2.People talk to strangers 3.There is social support 4.People coordinate their actions 5.People adhere to their own group’s norms

4. How crowd psychology can be used to enhance collective resilience, crowd self-regulation and safety 1.Facilitate crowd self-regulation in ‘normal’ events –We rely on crowd members to regulate their behaviour –Understanding crowd psychology can help us enhance crowd self-regulation 2.Enhance crowd capacities for collective resilience in emergencies –Work with and facilitate adaptive response (social support) in the crowd

5. 1. Preventing disaster by knowing your crowd ‘Audience profile’ –What are the social identities? –What is the ‘culture’ (norms and values)? Where do they like to gather (Shia vs Sunni at the Hajj)? What offends your crowd? Is an inflatable plastic shark threatening?

6. BBBII Police perspective: widespread ‘disorder’ Everywhere people were committing offences. I was asked to hold a male’s joint, whilst he made a phone call, sitting on top of plastic-roofed toilet… (PG2 - Police Officer)

7. BBBII Stewards saw mutual aid, spontaneous order, and norms in the crowd They worked with the norms.

8. How are we going to get him down? So I said, you ask the voice of God [DJ Fatboy Slim], turn the music down, ask the voice of God very nicely to say [ ] ‘please get down, because the party can’t carry on until you’re back on the ground, but do it safely please.’ Peer pressure will bring him down, and he won’t get his head kicked in, and that will stop anybody else climbing up. Music came down, voice of God came over, he waved a bit, everyone cheered, and they’re all going ‘down, down, down’, so he comes sliding all the way down, everyone cheers and that’s it. No one else climbed a lamp post all night. (City council environmental health officer)

9. 2. Communication in an emergency If shared social identity can help a crowd respond adaptively to an emergency, then: –Increase communications which facilitate shared social identity –Reduce communications which inhibit shared social identity

10. Consider: –The language we use: e.g., ‘passengers’ versus ‘customers’ (the language of money is individualising!) –What is the crowd’s own name for its shared identity?

11. Re-cap Under-reaction (not over-reaction) is the main problem in emergencies Research: What are the factors that increase prompt evacuation?

12. If under-reaction (not over-reaction) is the main problem, then: –Increase information –Emphasise communication To increase public understanding of: –the danger –how to respond

13. Poor information/communication can be worse than useless: When the crowd perceives danger, lack of information → 1.Anxiety 2.Lack of trust in crowd safety management

14. A vicious circle… Lack of communication Lack of trust in authorities Danger Crowd anxiety + ‘Don’t tell them – they might panic!’ +

15. Evidence that information works! Experiment on Newcastle Metro Condition 1: simple alarm Condition 2: P.A. system order to evacuate Condition 3: P.A. system announced location and nature of threat (fire) and order to evacuate Which condition led to the fastest (i.e. most effective) evacuation? Proulx & Sime (1991Proulx & Sime (1991)

16. Example of good info delivery ‘You need to be scared, you need to be concerned, you need to get your butts moving out of New Orleans now! … We are ordering a mandatory evacuation of the city of New Orleans starting in the morning at 8am on the West Bank… we give you 4 hours to evacuate’ (Ray Negin, Mayor of New Orleans. 31 st August 2008)

17. For information to be communication requires trust. BUT communication can also create trust Shared social identification is the pivot

18. A worked example: Communication in CBRN mass decontamination Strategies of management: (a) quarantine (not dispersal/starburst) for (b) decontamination

19. Review of decon incidents Public complained of lack of information, lack of concern for their dignity These concerns made them less willing to comply with decontamination! Increased risk of spreading contaminants! Carter et al. (2015Carter et al. (2015)

20. 1.Effective responder communication  2.Enhanced the legitimacy of the responders  3.Increased identification with them  4.Reduced anxiety, increased cooperation, increased compliance, faster decon An intervention study Carter, H., Drury, J., Amlôt, R., Rubin, G. J., & Williams, R. (2014). PLoS One 9(3): e89846. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089846

22. A virtuous circle… Effective coms 1. Reduced anxiety 2. Legitimacy Shared identity 1. Believe & internalise 2. Cooperate & coordinate

23. Crowds as part of solution rather than part of problem People often try to help others if they have resources/ ability to do so Influential figures can emerge from crowd who encourage co-operative norms – ‘zero-responders’…

24. Zero-responders Rather than too shocked or ‘panicked’ to act, bystanders often intervene in emergencies How to encourage ‘zero-responders’ before professionals arrive? (1 st aid kits given out by Israeli ambulance service  In sieges, there may be delays before help arrives; Paris Nov 2015, Kenya Westgate Mall 2013 –http://dontpaniccorrectingmythsaboutthecrow d.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/paris-attacks-their- aftermath.htmlhttp://dontpaniccorrectingmythsaboutthecrow d.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/paris-attacks-their- aftermath.html Cocking (2013) Int J of Emergency Services Cocking (2015) Crisis Response Journal

25. TAKE-HOME MESSAGE 1.Social identities explain how crowds behave in events 2.Social identities operate in crowds in emergencies 3.We can use these ideas to design interventions to enhance crowd safety

26. Acknowledgements Colleagues: Hani Alnabulsi, Richard Amlôt, Holly Carter, David Novelli, Steve Reicher, James Rubin, Clifford Stott, Richard Williams Funders Leverhulme Trust, F/00 230/AO ESRC, RES-000-23-0446 Public Health England Contact details j.drury@sussex.ac.ukj.drury@sussex.ac.uk; c.cocking@brighton.ac.ukc.cocking@brighton.ac.uk Crowds and Identities research group: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/psychology/crowdsidentities/ http://www.sussex.ac.uk/psychology/crowdsidentities/ Chris Cocking Blog: http://dontpaniccorrectingmythsaboutthecrowd.blogspot.co.uk/ Twitter: @DrJohnDrury: @DrChrisCocking