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Why do they march? A conceptual framework on motivational and affective drivers for engaging in protests against anti-COVID-19 measures

Larissa Laurer, University of Jena; Eva Lermer, Center for Leadership and People Management; Julius Wolff, University of Regensburg; Peter Fischer, University of Regensburg; Matthias F. C. Hudecek, University of Regensburg

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented public health emergency of international concern. To contain the spread of the virus, the German government enacted various anti-COVID-19 measures that also faced some criticism. Regular protest marches against these measures grew out of this criticism. However, to this day, it is not clear what motivated these developments. Therefore, the aim of the present study was twofold: to explore motivators for participating in such protests (RQ1) and what feelings protesters have during and after participation in these protests (RQ2). We recruited active anti-COVID-19 protesters. Our sample comprised 20 participants aged between 21 and 68 years (50% female, 50% male). We developed an interview guide and used semi-structured interviews for the data collection. Content analysis was used to analyze the transcripts (interrater reliability first wave: Cohen's kappa .83; second wave: .88). Based on the results of the interviews, we developed a conceptual framework that helps to explain why people actively join protests and what their beneficial outcomes are. Results show that the strongest motivators to join the protests (RQ1) were a severe loss of control accompanied by a need for closeness and a need for freedom of speech. In addition, participants experienced strong negative feelings (e.g., fear, anger). Also, there were widespread conspiracy beliefs among protesters. Following RQ2, we found three major factors on the individual level (e.g., meeting like-minded people, belief of false facts) that contribute to positive feelings during participation as well as likelihood of participation in further protests. The current study contributes to the development of a conceptual framework that includes motivational and affective drivers for engaging in protests against anti-COVID-19 measures. It thus provides important insights on a theoretical level and offers implications for future political decision making and communication strategies

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