In 1972, Anthony Downs published a piece about the “Issue Attention Cycle,”  which specifically looked at the relationship between public opinion and media coverage.  Overall, he observed how an environmental problem “suddenly leaps into prominence, remains there for a short time, and then–though still largely unresolved–gradually fades from the center of public attention.”  Since its publication in the early ’70s, this cycle has been applied to numerous social issues.  Now, in the 10 days since the 2018 Women’s March, we have seen the issue-attention cycle focus briefly on the American Resistance and how it is mobilizing people to engage in resistance in the streets and then move on.

I had the opportunity to experience this cycle first-hand over the past week as I presented some preliminary findings on the most recent Women’s March on Morning Joe, the TakeAway as well as other media outlets.  Although the most accurate estimates report that around 2 million people marched over the anniversary of the Women’s March, attention quickly shifted away from the persistence of the resistance. I discussed this issue of waning/lacking media coverage briefly on the Thom Hartmann show last week, and it was the focus of a piece in Elle as well as Medium.

As President Trump addresses the nation in his first State of the Union tonight, I expect that the media will gloss over the fact that there has been sustained political engagement in the American Resistance since the day the Trump Administration began.  Whether the media cover this issue or not, there is no question that it is having an effect on politics in America and will change the way people engage in Democracy in America for generations to come.

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Arab American Institute’s Generation Event last night to discuss social change in America. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk with people who are thinking about civic participation in America today and to share the results of my work on the Resistance.

Chapter 2: Resistance in the Streets goes live this weekend.  I plan to post it on Saturday morning before I head out to survey participants at the Women’s March on Washington 2018.  Although the event in DC won’t turn out the huge crowds we saw last year, I am heartened to see that people are planning to march this year in their own communities.  More than 250 events have been scheduled to take place around the US to commemorate the anniversary of the Women’s March.

I’m very happy to have been involved in a number of pieces discussing what the Resistance means to America today.  Check out the recent piece/video on ThinkProgress, which also summarizes the main arguments in Chapter 1.

Stay tuned for Chapter 2 on  Resistance in the Streets going live on the Anniversary of the Women’s March:  1/21/18!

Today I finished chapter 2 on Resistance in the Streets. I am hoping that it will be through peer-review to be posted by the 1-year anniversary of the Women’s March in January so stay tuned…

Here is an updated timeline of Resistance in the Streets.  I’ve added in #TakeAKnee, which has clearly responded to the actions of the President.

It’s not yet clear if #MeToo belongs up on this timeline but I am monitoring it. We will have to see the degree to which it joins the Resistance in terms of its focus on the Trump Administration and its policies.

Today my piece specifically focused on the March for Science was published at Sociological Forum.  The article is part of a “Forum” on science and activism

In the piece, I analyze how participants at the March for Science compare to a broader sample of participants in the Resistance. Although they have some unique characteristics, my findings show that there are few statistically significant differences between participants in the March for Science and others participating in the Resistance. Also, in contrast to what some might expect, participants in the March for Science were no more educated than participants at the other two marches. In fact, participants in the Women’s March in January 2017 had the highest levels of educational attainment of all with 87% of participants holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Although they aren’t statistically significant, when we compare across protest events, we see clear evidence that protesters in the streets are also engaging in other forms of civic engagement.  Looking at two actions that have been encouraged by many groups in the Resistance—contacting an elected official or attending a town hall meeting—participation was high: 63% reported contacting an elected official in the past year and 43% reported attending a town hall meeting.  This figure from the article shows how these rates are going up.

While working on Chapter 2, which focuses on Resistance in the Streets,  I realized there’s a real need for a Resistance Timeline.  Here is my first attempt to map Resistance in the Streets since the inauguration.  It includes the largest and most politically salient protests since the Inauguration of Donald Trump.

When we look specifically at the frequency and turnout of marches, this timeline indicates that the Resistance in the Streets is dying down.  However, there are a number of questions that need to be answered to interpret it:  Are Americans experiencing protest fatigue? Are they channeling their efforts into other types of Resistance?  Or, have they given up the fight?

As I continue to write while collecting data on the many forms of American Resistance, it is my intention to answer these questions.