TY - JOUR
T1 - Muddying the Waters
T2 - How Perceived Foreign Interference Affects Public Opinion on Protest Movements
AU - Chow, Wilfred M.
AU - Levin, Dov H.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), 2024.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Does foreign interference help or harm protest movements? An extensive literature has debated this question but focuses on observational data, obscuring a crucial mechanism for protest success: its effect on public attitudes. We argue that public accusations of foreign meddling damage protest groups by reducing public support. In survey experiments conducted in the United States and Canada, we find that credible accusations of foreign interference erode support by discrediting protester groups among sympathizers and inflaming nationalist fears. Indeed, such accusations delegitimize protest movements even among those sympathetic to the cause. Conditional factors, such as the type of foreign assistance or the identity of the meddling state, have no impact. These findings reveal how referencing foreign backing is a potent discrediting tactic—it influences public opinion, a critical determinant for protest outcomes.
AB - Does foreign interference help or harm protest movements? An extensive literature has debated this question but focuses on observational data, obscuring a crucial mechanism for protest success: its effect on public attitudes. We argue that public accusations of foreign meddling damage protest groups by reducing public support. In survey experiments conducted in the United States and Canada, we find that credible accusations of foreign interference erode support by discrediting protester groups among sympathizers and inflaming nationalist fears. Indeed, such accusations delegitimize protest movements even among those sympathetic to the cause. Conditional factors, such as the type of foreign assistance or the identity of the meddling state, have no impact. These findings reveal how referencing foreign backing is a potent discrediting tactic—it influences public opinion, a critical determinant for protest outcomes.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85191067296&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0003055424000327
DO - 10.1017/S0003055424000327
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85191067296
SN - 0003-0554
JO - American Political Science Review
JF - American Political Science Review
ER -