Affective Polarization and Political Protest: Exploring the General Association and Context-Specific Differences

Political polarization, and affective polarization in particular, is generally viewed negatively and seen as a threat to liberal democracy. The only potential exception is its positive impact on participation. Due to the lack of research into non-institutional forms of political participation, this study explores whether affective political polarization is associated with greater engagement in protest politics. Using original data collected in nine protest surveys, this study focuses on differences within the group of people who take part in public demonstrations. Preliminary results generally indicate a positive association. Affective polarization is therefore a potential factor in explaining higher levels of engagement in the protest arena. However, when comparing specific protest events, the data reveal significant differences. Affective polarization helps to explain higher levels of engagement in protests against the far right, but affective polarization is not linked with engagement in climate protests. These differences demonstrate the importance of examining the specific context of public protests more closely and of not treating protesters as a homogeneous group.