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Abstract
In recent years, Latin Americans marched the streets in a wave of protests that swept almost every country in the region. Yet few studies have assessed how Latin Americans support various forms of protest, and how new technologies affect attitudes toward protest tactics. Using data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (N = 37,102), cluster analyses grouped citizens into four distinct groups depending on their support for protests. Most Latin Americans support moderate forms of protest, rejecting more radical tactics. Online networking is associated with support for both moderate and radical protests. But those who support only moderate protests use online networking sites more than Latin Americans as a whole, while those who support radical protests use online networking sites significantly less. Our findings suggest that only peaceful and legal demonstrations have been normalized in the region, and online networking foments support for moderate protest tactics.
Highlights
Since 2011, the Western Hemisphere has witnessed a surge of protests across major cities in the continent
This study focuses on the attitudinal micro level of analysis, referring to what perceptions citizens in Latin America have regarding the “right to protest” and the perceived legitimacy of certain protest tactics
In the decades since the military relinquished control of the government, Latin American countries maintained relatively stable democracies, with several decades of democratically elected governments being challenged by popular protests
Summary
Since 2011, the Western Hemisphere has witnessed a surge of protests across major cities in the continent. Leaders of social movement organizations in the region attribute the scope of the protests to the mobilizing power of online networking websites, such as Twitter and Facebook [1]. How do Latin Americans support the “right to protest”? What is the actual relationship between online networking and support for protests in the Americas? Scholars approach exploring the phenomenon of social movements and protests in two different analytical levels: micro and macro. While the micro level includes questions about what motivates people to protest and what tactics they decide to use, the macro level questions why protests emerge and how they can change society [2]. This study focuses on the attitudinal micro level of analysis, referring to what perceptions citizens in Latin America have regarding the “right to protest” and the perceived legitimacy of certain protest tactics. We are interested in assessing what—if any—forms of collective action have been “normalized” by the public and are understood as legitimate
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