Source and Labeling Effects in Government Response to Protest

• In Event: Public Opinion on Political Violence

Abstract

Authoritarian regimes have few options for quick and inexpensive response to protests, yet these types of responses are imperative if the state seeks to constrain protests and legitimize the use of repression. This paper turns to a type of information-based protest response overlooked in the literature: strategic labeling and public statements by regime officials. Accusing protesters of criminality and declaring them members of fringe groups increases support for repression by increasing beliefs that protests are violent, illegitimate and likely to fail. Incumbents also claim credit for response to protest and win support among citizens who are reminded of the power of the state and its ability to provide "law and order". The implications of the argument are tested with a survey experiment in China which draws on details of environmental protests and government response. We use several strategies, including a list experiment to test for the mechanism. We also combine the experimental results with observational evidence from Israel and China.

Authors

• Daniel Arnon, Emory University

• Pearce Edwards, Carnegie Mellon University

• Handi Li, Emory University