An Attention-Based Approach of Protest Success: Evidence from Anti-nuclear Protests in the United States

• In Event: 593 - Regular Session. Social Movements: The Emergence and Outcomes of Protest

Abstract

We study collective action against planned nuclear power plant sites in the U.S. to show that protests are more likely to succeed the more focused their claims are. Moreover, we also argue that activists are more likely to be successful when protests are followed by critical events that draw public attention to their cause and galvanize local activists. To test our hypotheses, we analyze original, hand-collected data on 241 planned nuclear power plant sites in the U.S. since 1960, which we link to archival data on accidents at those operational sites and protest event data from The New York Times. We show that protest events are more likely to result in the cancellation of a project when: 1) they articulate only claims related to opposing nuclear power as opposed to embracing additional claims; 2) they are followed by a nuclear accident at a nearby site. Moreover, the positive effect of a nearby nuclear site accident on site cancellation is greater when the protest is staged closer to its intended planned nuclear site. The results reveal the potentially negative effect of adopting hybrid identities in movements and underscore the importance of critical events for achieving movement success.

Authors

• Alessandro Piazza, Columbia University

• Dan Wang, Columbia University