Integrating Digital and On-Site Fieldwork: Practical Solutions for Scholars with Limited On-Site Access

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2025

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Source Publication

PS: Political Science & Politics

Source ISSN

1049-0965

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1017/S1049096525000216

Abstract

When faced with unfolding protests, autocrats frequently respond with anti-protest propaganda loaded with negative narratives about protesters. Although a substantial body of literature has suggested that anti-protest propaganda can effectively alter the way the public views protests, few researchers have examined the mechanism through which propaganda negatively affects public support for protests. In this article, the authors explain the role that anti-protest propaganda plays in weakening public support for protests. Using an innovative experiment involving mediation analysis, the authors administered a survey to 950 Vietnamese respondents. The experimental results showed that anti-protest propaganda may deter support for protests more by influencing the audience's beliefs about the intention and capacity of the government than by shaping perceptions of the protesters' legitimacy. This evidence suggests that even when it fails at discrediting protesters, anti-protest propaganda still serves as an effective warning, credibly signaling the commitment and ability of the government to punish protesters and their supporters.

Comments

PS: Political Science & Politics, Vol. 77, No. 2 (April 2025): 338-381. DOI.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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