1. Morrell, G., Scott, S., McNeish, D., Webster, S. (2011)
The August riots in England: Understanding the involvement of young people

2. The overall aim of this study/report was to explore what triggered the youth involvement in the August riots of 2011.

3. WHERE? Tottenham, North London High unemployment
48% children living in poverty
Young people feeling despair and hopelessness
Residents express pride in the attitude of the community
Investment in secondary schools lead to improved achievement

4. WHAT?
TASK: Watch the video and read the news articles. Using the information, write a summary of what happened in the Tottenham riots in 2011

5. RESEARCH METHODS SAMPLE
Researchers aimed to speak to 30 people in each of the five areas studied – Tottenham, Peckham, Clapham Junction, Salford and Birmingham - and two unaffected areas – Poplar in east London and Firth Park in Sheffield.
Each sample comprised a roughly even split of over and under 18s and diversity with respect to gender, ethnicity and work status.

6. RESEARCH METHODS PROCEDURE
Participants were interviewed on a one to one and face to face basis.
In addition to the interviews, larger discussion groups were conducted with young people, community stakeholders and residents.

7. FINDINGS
Who was involved in the Tottenham riots?

8. WHO?
Mixed age groups; all ethnicities; people in work, training and education; and the unemployed.
WATCHERS
People who were present at incidents and observed some of what happened but did not become involved in criminal behaviour.
Bystanders: young people who happened to be there – lived locally or were passing through when the events occurred.
The curious: young people who deliberately chose to be there to see what was going on.

9. WHO?
Mixed age groups; all ethnicities; people in work, training and education; and the unemployed.
RIOTERS
People who were involved in violent disturbances and vandalism.
Protesters: young people who acted because of a specific grievance or set of grievances.
Retaliators: young people who acted to get their own back on the police or the ‘system’.
Thrill-seekers: young people who got involved to get the excitement or ‘buzz’

10. WHO?
Mixed age groups; all ethnicities; people in work, training and education; and the unemployed.
LOOTERS
People involved in breaking into shops, stealing from broken-into shops or picking up stolen goods left in the streets.
Opportunists: young people who saw the chance to steal things for themselves or family, or to sell on.
Sellers: Young people who planned their involvement to maximise their ‘profits’

11. WHO?
Mixed age groups; all ethnicities; people in work, training and education; and the unemployed.
NON-INVOLVED
People who did not become involved in the disturbances.
Stay-aways: young people who chose not to get involved or observe.
Wannabes: young people who weren’t there but would have liked to have been.

12. WATCHERS RIOTERS LOOTERS NON-INVOLVED
WHO?
Mixed age groups; all ethnicities; people in work, training and education; and the unemployed.
Some people that were involved fell into more than one category. i.e. you could be a looter as well as a rioter.
WATCHERS RIOTERS LOOTERS NON-INVOLVED

13. FINDINGS
Why did people decide to get involved, or not?

14. WHY did people get involved?
What reasons can you think of as to why people may have decided to get involved in the riots?

15. WHY did people get involved?
“It was a chance to get free stuff!”
“I wanted an exciting experience”
“I wanted to get back at the police”

16. WHY did people get involved?
Nudge and Tug factors
NUDGE
TUG
Things that nudge people towards getting involved
Things that tug people away from getting involved

17. WHY did people get involved?
Nudge and Tug factors
SITUATIONAL CAUSES

18. GROUP PROCESSES WHY did people get involved? NUDGE TUG
Feeling disinhibited and swept along by the power of the group
Seeing others ‘get away with it’
Feeling anonymous (deindividuation)
Actively thinking toward future goals and not focusing on the ‘here and now’. E.g. If I steal something and get caught it could ruin my chances of getting a good job and earning enough money.

19. PEER PRESSURES WHY did people get involved? NUDGE TUG
Friends being involved
Friends not being involved

20. INFORMATION WHY did people get involved? NUDGE TUG Seeing it on TV
Getting texts about it
Facebook coverage
BBM messages
No messages
No social media coverage
Not seeing it on TV

21. CIRCUMSTANCES WHY did people get involved? NUDGE TUG
Nothing else to do
It was nearby
It was easy to get there
It was hard to get there
Lack of transport

22. AUTHORITY FIGURES WHY did people get involved? NUDGE TUG
No adult telling them not to
Everybody was doing it and not being caught by authorities (police)
Parents, relations, or youth workers telling them not to get involved

23. DISPOSITIONAL CAUSES WHY did people get involved?
Nudge and Tug factors
DISPOSITIONAL CAUSES

24. PREVIOUS CRIMINAL ACTIVITY
WHY did people get involved?
PREVIOUS CRIMINAL ACTIVITY
NUDGE
TUG
Easy to get involved in
It’s ‘the thing to do’ around here
Having been caught once and knowing the risks

25. ATTITUDES TOWARDS AUTHORITY
WHY did people get involved?
ATTITUDES TOWARDS AUTHORITY
NUDGE
TUG
Anger towards politicians and police
Negative personal experiences of the police
No negative experiences of the police

26. PROSPECTS WHY did people get involved? NUDGE TUG Poor job prospects
Low income
Limited hope for the future
‘Nothing to lose’
In work
High expectations for employment
High aspirations
A lot to lose

27. WHY did people get involved?
Nudge and Tug factors
OTHER CAUSES

28. FAMILY ATTITUDES WHY did people get involved? NUDGE TUG
Relative not disapproving
Disapproval from family
‘Not brought up like that’

29. COMMUNITY WHY did people get involved? NUDGE TUG
In a community with lots of low-level crime
In a prosocial community
In a religious community

30. BELONGING WHY did people get involved? NUDGE TUG
Low sense of ownership
A low stake in the community
Sense of ownership and stake in society

31. POVERTY & MATERIALISM WHY did people get involved? NUDGE TUG
Desire for material goods but no means to pay for them
Adequate resources to purchase desired goods

32. WHY did people get involved?
People went through two mental processes in deciding whether to take part or not:
Beliefs about right and wrong (morals)
Weighing up the benefits and risks of taking part
Example: someone who initially believed the rioting/looting was justifiable may have ended up deciding the personal risk was too great and so did not get involved.

33. CONCLUSIONS Anti-social criminal behaviour is influenced by
situational/social factors
dispositional/individual factors.
beliefs about what is right and what is wrong.
assessment of the costs and benefits of involvement.