Stand up and be counted: six ways to protest that will make your voice heard
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The current wave of marches and activism around the world is the largest in documented history, giving scientists the chance to study what makes for a successful campaign.
By Helen Pearson
On 27 September last year, three climate activists were arrested for throwing soup over Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh at the National Gallery. The Just Stop Oil protest landed on the national front pages. But will the action help further the activists’ cause to end fossil fuels?
Scientists are beginning to find answers to this question. The number of protests more than tripled between 2006 and 2020 and researchers are working out which tactics are most likely to change public opinion, influence voting behaviour, change policy or even overthrow political regimes.
‘We are experiencing the largest wave of protests in documented history,’ says political scientist Lisa Mueller at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Successful protest movements tend to be large, non-violent, diverse, cohesive ...
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