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The Persistent Effect of U.S. Civil Rights Protests on Political Attitudes

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  • Soumyajit Mazumder

Abstract

Protests can engender significant institutional change. Can protests also continue to shape a nation's contemporary politics outside of more formalized channels? I argue that social movements can not only beget institutional change, but also long‐run, attitudinal change. Using the case of the U.S. civil rights movement, I develop a theory in which protests can shift attitudes and these attitudes can persist. Data from over 150,000 survey respondents provide evidence consistent with the theory. Whites from counties that experienced historical civil rights protests are more likely to identify as Democrats and support affirmative action, and less likely to harbor racial resentment against blacks. These individual‐level results are politically meaningful—counties that experienced civil rights protests are associated with greater Democratic Party vote shares even today. This study highlights how social movements can have persistent impacts on a nation's politics.

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  • Soumyajit Mazumder, 2018. "The Persistent Effect of U.S. Civil Rights Protests on Political Attitudes," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 62(4), pages 922-935, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:amposc:v:62:y:2018:i:4:p:922-935
    DOI: 10.1111/ajps.12384
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    Cited by:

    1. Alex Armand & Paul Atwell & Joseph F. Gomes & Yannik Schenk, 2023. "It’s a Bird, it’s a Plane, it’s Superman! Using Mass Media to fight Intolerance," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2023012, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    2. Cariolle, Joël & Elkhateeb, Yasmine & Maurel, Mathilde, 2024. "Misinformation technology: Internet use and political misperceptions in Africa," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 400-433.
    3. Sarah E Croco & Kathleen Gallagher Cunningham & Taylor Vincent, 2023. "Protests and persuasion: Partisanships effect on evaluating nonviolent tactics in the United States," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 60(1), pages 26-41, January.
    4. El-Mallakh, Nelly, 2020. "How do protests affect electoral choices? Evidence from Egypt," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 299-322.
    5. Christos Mavridis & Orestis Troumpounis & Maurizio Zanardi, 2022. "Protests and Police Militarization," School of Economics Discussion Papers 0122, School of Economics, University of Surrey.
    6. D. Mark Anderson & Kerwin Charles & Krzysztof Karbownik & Daniel I. Rees & Camila Steffens, 2023. "Civil Rights Protests and Election Outcomes: Exploring the Effects of the Poor People's Campaign," NBER Working Papers 31973, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Afiq bin Oslan, 2023. "Persistent and Self-Perpetuating Political Differences between Neighbouring Communities," Working Papers tax-mpg-rps-2023-19, Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance.
    8. Fazio, Andrea, 2023. "Protests, Long-term Preferences, and Populism. Evidence from 1968 in Europe," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1329, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    9. Freitas Monteiro, Teresa & Prömel, Christopher, 2024. "Local far-right demonstrations and nationwide public attitudes toward migration," Discussion Papers 2024/3, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    10. Bouke Klein Teeselink & Georgios Melios, 2022. "Weather to Protest: The Effect of Black Lives Matter Protests on the 2020 Presidential Election," Working Papers CEB 22-007, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    11. Eugen Dimant, 2020. "Hate Trumps Love: The Impact of Political Polarization on Social Preferences," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 029, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    12. Mohajan, Haradhan, 2021. "Third Industrial Revolution Brings Global Development," MPRA Paper 110972, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 28 Sep 2021.
    13. Nupia Martínez, Oscar & Álvarez Gallo, Carlos Andrés, 2024. "The Impact of Massive Protests on Individual Attitudes," Documentos CEDE 21190, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.

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