Where does social mobilization grow? An analysis of the new protesters of the Chilean social mobilizations of October 2019

Abstract

In October 2019, Chile experienced the biggest social mobilizations seen since the return of democracy in 1990. The object of the article is to characterize and discuss the profile of the new demonstrators of the social unrest. To address this object, we analyze the data from the “Zona Cero” Survey of the Nucleo de Sociología Contingente, estimating linear probability models to predict the low or non-existent participation in protests during the last 10 years of a large segment of those who demonstrated during this period. The results show that the new protesters’ profile is that of people with a relatively low level of educa¬tion, politically identified with the center, who do not go to protests alone or with their closest ties, and do not participate in social organizations. This article contributes to studies of protest participation and the social unrest of 2019 in Chile.