What Explains the Propensity of Climate Activists to Engage in Civil Disobedience?

Civil disobedience is an understudied form of political participation increasingly utilised by various groups, especially by climate activists who protest inadequate climate policies. We study the characteristics of individuals who engage in civil disobedience, which have not been examined in prior literature, largely due to lack of suitable data. Our study is based on a unique, international survey dataset collected in 18 countries with over 3000 respondents. We find that men, young people, those identifying with the left, those highly interested in politics and those dissatisfied with democracy are more likely to engage in civil disobedience than others. Contrary to expectations, we find that high education is not related to civil disobedience, while identification with lower classes is. These two findings suggest that civil disobedience may differ from other forms on uninstitutionalised political participation which are usually associated with the higher social strata.