Symbolic vs. Instrumental Protest III

This study will experimentally test the differences between symbolic and instrumental disruptive action and test potential mechanisms. Specifically, the present study examines whether symbolic and instrumental disruptive action are perceived to have different goals (i.e., raising awareness vs. resolving an issue), and whether these goals inform people’s understanding of the status quo and the social movement. We focus our attention to the potential of symbolic disruptive action to elicit pluralistic ignorance, and the potential of instrumental disruptive action to elicit collective efficacy.