Predicting Activism for a Social Cause

From Advocacy to Activism: A Multi-Dimensional Scale of Communicative, Collective, and Combative Behaviors

“…While numerous definitions for advocacy and activism exist (e.g., Jenkins, 1987;Nilsson et al, 2011;Poorisat et al, 2019;Schmid et al, 2008), this study attempts to summarize the similarities and differences between the two concepts. One definition of advocacy is, "any attempt to influence the decisions of an institutional elite on behalf of a collective interest" (Jenkins, 1987, p. 297).…”

“…757–758). Some scholars have suggested that activism goes beyond conventional political activities, and it has evolved over time to include broader social participation, civic engagement, and movements that arose from the general public (Poorisat et al, 2019). Activism has also been defined as a “process by which groups of people exert pressure on organizations or other institutions to change policies, practices or conditions the activists find problematic” (Smith, 2005, p. 5).…”

“…In their research on predicting activism for a social cause, Poorisat et al (2019) noted that one of the key indicators that differentiates involvement in various activities is cost . Cost can refer to time, money, effort (McAdam, 1986), or even risk (Corning & Myers, 2002).…”

“…As mentioned, one of the key considerations that differentiates activism from advocacy is cost, and that can refer to time, effort, or actual cost, that is, money (McAdam, 1986; Poorisat et al, 2019). Resource mobilization theory explains the necessity of resources for nonprofit and social movement organizations (Corning & Myers, 2002; McCarthy & Zald, 1977).…”

“…In their discussion of activism, Corning and Myers (2002) noted that activism can encompass what may be considered more conventional behaviors (e.g., protesting) to more extreme behaviors (e.g., damaging public property), and high-risk behavior is considered high cost. In discussing low- versus high-cost activities (Hensby, 2014; McAdam, 1986; Poorisat et al, 2019), digital behaviors such as signing an online petition are considered low-cost while offline behaviors such as attending a protest are more likely to be considered high-cost. These ideas are reflected in communication and management theories and literature (see, for example, Flanagin et al, 2006; Greve et al, 2010).…”