Conventional vs. Unconventional Protests: Citizens' Perceptions of the Legitimacy of Different Forms of Protest and Their Consequences

• In Event: Religion and Public Opinion: Comparative Perspectives on Political Attitudes and Beliefs

Abstract

This study examines evolving perceptions of protest legitimacy, inspired by Barnes and Kaase's 1979 categorization of conventional and unconventional political participation. In the context of contemporary climate activism, debates have again shifted from the message of protest to its form, questioning the boundaries of acceptable activism and its potential impact on the policy goals at stake. To better understand these dynamics, our research revisits classic studies of political participation by examining how individuals view different forms of participation. We employ two complementary approaches: a cross-sectional survey that captures general legitimacy perceptions in the population, and a survey experiment focused on climate protests, both conducted in Germany - a stronghold of environmental and climate activism. Our results first show a strong divide between conventional and unconventional forms of protest. Conventional methods such as public demonstrations and petitions are widely regarded as legitimate forms of civic expression, while unconventional tactics such as blockades are met with strong scepticism. Moreover, focusing on the case of climate protests, we show that while this divide affects support for climate protests, it has no direct impact on support for the goals of the protesters, i.e., ambitious climate policies. Overall, our research sheds light on the evolving terrain of political protest, with a focus on climate activism. We show that the normalization and conventionalization of protest in contemporary movement societies are accompanied by a strong objection to certain forms of protest.

Authors

• Daniel Felipe Saldivia Gonzatti, WZB Berlin Social Science Center

• Lennart Schuermann, University of Cologne

• Sophia Hunger, WZB Berlin Social Science Center

• Swen Hutter