Modelling the mediating effect of multiple emotions in a cycle of territorial protests

Abstract

Nowadays it is customary to incorporate emotions as explanatory variables of protest participation, since numerous studies have provided evidence for their relevance. However, the incorporation of emotions in quantitative research continues to emphasise the effect of a limited set of emotions (normally one or two with negative valence, such as anger or contempt) that are modelled as mediators between nonemotional motives and participation. This makes it difficult to test the joint effect that multiple emotions appear to have, as has been reported in qualitative research. The present research aims to address these gaps in the quantitative literature by applying structural equation modelling to a survey administered to a random sample of 500 inhabitants of a region of Chile in which a long cycle of territorial protests occurred. Our results confirm some hypotheses derived from qualitative research by showing that emotions are in fact experienced in arrays, that emotions with positive valence play a relevant role in explaining participation, and that several emotions mediate the effect of non-emotional motives and participation. It is also clear that emotions experienced by the population are significantly interrelated, thus a study of the direct or mediating effects of any given emotion must also address other emotions experienced intensely by subjects. This evidence could help to modify and improve the way in which emotions are integrated into formal quantitative models of protest participation.