From protest to ideology: how social movements reshape political orientations over time
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Date
2025
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Abstract
Do attitudes toward social movements influence citizens' ideological preferences? We address this question by examining an unprecedented cycle of protests in Chile, during which social movements challenged deep inequalities. In this context, we argue that individuals who value progressive social movements will be more receptive to collective action frames aligned with leftist values. This, in turn, will encourage them to shift their ideological position toward the left. However, based on insights from social cognition theories, we also claim that this effect is mostly restricted to citizens highly interested in political affairs. Among their low-interest counterparts, the effect is smaller and short-lasting. We empirically evaluate these assertions by estimating dynamic linear panel models based on data from the Chilean Longitudinal Social Survey from 2016 to 2021, a period marked by intense mobilization. Our results largely confirm our theoretical expectations, while also raising new questions for future research.
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Keywords
Political ideology, Social movements, Dynamic panel models, Chile, Political interest