51. The Different Movers in a Social Movement: Survey data from the May 1 immigration rallies in Los Angeles.
- Author
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Dionne, Kim Yi, Suk-Young Chwe, Michael, DeWitt, Darin, Enos, Ryan, Stone, Michael, and Carlson, Elizabeth
- Subjects
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SOCIAL movements , *EMIGRATION & immigration ,UNITED States emigration & immigration - Abstract
This paper studies participation in social movements using original survey data collected during the May 1 immigration reform rallies in Los Angeles, California in 2006. More than 500,000 people participated in the May 1 rallies in Los Angeles as part of a nationwide movement to bring attention to immigration reform following the passage of HR 4437 in the United States House of Representatives. Our paper describes the population that participated in this recent social movement. Using the survey responses of 876 demonstration participants at three different demonstration locations, we present regressions predicting first-time participation, demonstrating the characteristic differences between first-time and repeat protesters. We also use zip code data to make comparisons across subpopulations. The data reveal a few substantial findings. First, we find that even when there is substantial pre-protest debate on future outcomes dependent on the type of demonstration, events organized by different groups with different motivations can have participants that are quite similar to each other; in parallel to this finding, even events organized by the same group with the same motivation can have participants that are quite different from each other. Second, first-time protesters were more likely to respond to the survey in Spanish than repeat protesters. Finally, affinity with the protest message was the strongest predictor of participation in the May 1 marches, stronger than even costs of participating in a protest. Our findings point to a new mobilization of Spanish-speakers in the debate over immigration policy. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007