The science of protests: how to shape public opinion and swing votes
www.nature.com
Demonstrations are on the rise, and scientists are revealing which types work best.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/460748

Scientist Erica Chenoweth, who studies civil resistance at Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge in the U.S., showed that every movement that mobilized at least 3.5% of a population was successful. This led to what’s known as the 3.5% rule — that protests require this level of participation to ensure change.

But the figure can be misleading, Chenoweth cautions. A much larger number of people are probably supporting a successful revolution even if they aren’t visibly protesting.

  • DeebsterEnglish
    1•5 months ago

    Using rainfall as a(n inverse) proxy for protests is very clever. Interesting to see how the MLK violent protests actually were counterproductive and increased the republican vote share.