When Do People Echo? The Resonance of Framing in Environmental Petitions, 2015-2024

• In Event: 20861 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 15: When does Framing Work?

Abstract

Whereas previous studies on the mobilization of social movements have conventionally focused on the structures and strategies of social movement organizations and activists, this study shifts its attention toward the constituencies of the movements and, therein, examines which characteristics of movement frames enhance the resonance of potential participants. After collecting data on the entirety of environment-related petitions that have been submitted to the largest online petition platform, Change.org, we investigate the relationship between the internal qualities of collective action frames within petitions and the level of resonance by the constituencies who may be interested in environmental issues. Our analyses suggest that frames signaling scientific legitimacy are more likely to receive public support, while frames involving emotional or cognitive languages are rather associated with less resonance by the public. In addition, those having a clear adversarial target are positively related to resonance by the public. Our study provides implications to the studies of both social movements and environmental sociology in understanding the successful and unsuccessful mobilization of movements.

Authors

• Sehoon Kim, Chung-Ang University

• Yongren Shi, University of Arizona

• Chan S. Suh, Chung-Ang University