Open AccessProtest movements involving limited violence can sometimes be effective: Evidence from the 2020 BlackLivesMatter protests
Author(s) -
Eric Shuman,
Siwar Hasan-Aslih,
Martijn van Zomeren,
Tamar Saguy,
Eran Halperin
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2118990119
Subject(s) - prejudice (legal term) , political science , criminology , public support , survey data collection , suicide prevention , poison control , social psychology , psychology , public relations , law , medicine , environmental health , statistics , mathematics
Significance The effects of recent protests for racial equality, particularly when they included violence, are currently of public and academic interest. To better understand these effects, we combine a dataset of all 2020 BlackLivesMatter protests with survey data containing measures of prejudice and support for police reform. Protests were not associated with reductions in prejudice, but were associated with increases in support for police reform. Specifically, a mix of nonviolent and violent protests was associated with an increase in police-reform support among conservatives living in liberal areas. This study highlights the importance of considering multiple measures of protest effectiveness and suggests that mass protest (including when it mixes nonviolence and violence) can be effective at advancing the movement’s goals.