Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/331907 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Citation: 
[Journal:] Social Science Quarterly [ISSN:] 1540-6237 [Volume:] 106 [Issue:] 6 [Article No.:] e70099 [Publisher:] Wiley [Place:] Hoboken, NJ [Year:] 2025 [Pages:] 1-10
Publisher: 
Wiley, Hoboken, NJ
Abstract: 
Politicization—the expansion of conflict in the political system—is often assumed to be associated with high levels of participation. Yet, this is not necessarily the case, especially in contexts of democratic backsliding. This study investigates how politicization of protest events affects individuals’ willingness to participate in protests, using Hungary as a most likely case. We examine three causal mechanisms that may mediate this effect: perceived risks of participation, political efficacy, and public support. Empirically, we rely on a pre‐registered survey experiment conducted in August 2024. To operationalize politicization, we manipulated the issue's salience, the polarization of positions presented, and the number of actors involved in the protest. Our findings challenge the prevailing assumption by demonstrating that increasing politicization leads to lower levels of protest participation. In addition, causal mediation analysis shows that this demobilizing effect is primarily due to reduced perceived political efficacy and expected public support.
Subjects: 
Hungary
political efficacy
political participation
politicization
protest
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
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Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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