Abstract
Climate activists' tactics range from relatively moderate (e.g., authorised marches) to more radical (e.g., vandalism), but the presence of a 'radical flank' on wider public support for moderate 'centre' groups is poorly understood. In a pre-registered experiment, a sample of non-activist Austrian adults, representative on age, gender, and region (N = 1407), responded to two hypothetical climate protest scenarios. We found that: a) the presence of a radical flank resulted in greater support for a centre activist group; but b) only when the centre group actively distanced themselves from (vs. endorsed) the radicals' actions. Pre-registered path analysis supported the plausibility of a proposed moderated serial mediation model, suggesting that centrists who actively distanced from the radicals were potentially more supported, because: a) they were seen as less radical themselves; and b) respondents identified more with them. Results suggest public support for moderate pro-climate actions is enhanced through the presence of a radical flank when moderates distance themselves from the radical flank.