Exposure to protests and support for different forms of violence: Evidence from the 2019 social outburst in Chile

People living in communities where protests occur are exposed to various forms of violence, including state-perpetrated violence, such as police brutality, as well as violence from protesters, such as riots and looting. Does exposure to such protests influence people’s support for violence, whether...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sebastian Rivera, Fernando Severino, Giancarlo Visconti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-07-01
Series:Research & Politics
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680251355242
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Summary:People living in communities where protests occur are exposed to various forms of violence, including state-perpetrated violence, such as police brutality, as well as violence from protesters, such as riots and looting. Does exposure to such protests influence people’s support for violence, whether from the state or protesters? To address this question, we analyze data from a multi-year panel study conducted in Chile (2016–2022) to examine how the massive demonstrations of 2019 shaped attitudes toward violence. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that exposure to protests decreases support for state repression, but only for a short time. However, such exposure does not significantly influence support for the violence perpetrated by protesters. This nuanced understanding of attitudes toward violence provides new evidence to explain the support for different forms of violent actions during social movements.
ISSN:2053-1680