American Democracy Under Protest

• In Event: Democracy and Social Movements

Abstract

This study examines the politics of protest in the United States of America during the presidency of Donald Trump. It considers the motivations for participation in protest, the persistence of that participation (or lack thereof), and support for a range of political tactics (both peaceful and violent). Data are drawn from over 5000 original surveys conducted at 35 left-leaning and right-leaning protests in Washington, DC in 2017 and 2018. The preliminary analysis suggests the robustness of dissatisfaction with democracy as explanation for nonelectoral participation, persistent protest, and support for violent tactics on the political left. However, activists on the political right are less likely to modulate their protest participation as a function of democratic dissatisfaction, instead devoting greater attention to their electoral participation (or lack thereof) as a mechanism to communicate their dissatisfaction. The statistical models include control variables for electoral participation, party membership, sex, race, age, education, income, and emotions. This study is relevant to contemporary debates about American politics, protest, social movements, and political participation.

Author

• Michael T. Heaney, University of Glasgow