Who is willing to participate in non-violent civil disobedience for the climate?

The report finds that the 'Alarmed' segment of the Six Americas, younger adults, and people of color are the most likely to support or personally participate in non-violent civil disobedience against activities that exacerbate global warming. While support for organizations engaging in such actions is higher than the willingness to personally participate, the data indicates millions of American adults are open to these tactics.

• Among the 'Six Americas' segments, the Alarmed are the most likely to support organizations using non-violent civil disobedience, with 50% stating they 'definitely' (21%) or 'probably' (29%) would do so. Additionally, 28% of the Alarmed would personally engage in such actions if asked by someone they respect, with the 'definitely willing' group (10%) representing approximately 8.6 million American adults.
• Millennial and younger adults (aged 18-40) show higher levels of support for non-violent civil disobedience than older generations. Approximately 35% of this group (14% 'definitely' and 21% 'probably') would support such organizations, and 20% (8% 'definitely' and 12% 'probably') would personally engage in these actions if asked by a respected person.
• Black Americans and Hispanics/Latinos are more likely than white Americans to both support organizations and personally engage in non-violent civil disobedience for the climate. Support for such organizations is at 34% for Black Americans and 35% for Hispanics/Latinos. Personal willingness to engage is approximately 22% for Black Americans (5% 'definitely' and 17% 'probably') and 17% for Hispanics/Latinos (6% 'definitely' and 11% 'probably').
• There is a gap between the willingness to support organizations engaging in non-violent civil disobedience and the willingness to personally participate, which the authors suggest is likely due to barriers such as the fear of arrest.

APA

Campbell, E., Kotcher, J., Maibach, E., Rosenthal, S., & Leiserowitz, A. (2022). Who is willing to participate in non-violent civil disobedience for the climate? Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/non-violent-civil-disobedience-climate-participant/

Chicago

Campbell, E., J. Kotcher, E. Maibach, S. Rosenthal, and A. Leiserowitz. Who is willing to participate in non-violent civil disobedience for the climate? Center for Climate Change Communication, 2022. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/non-violent-civil-disobedience-climate-participant/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Campbell |first1=E. |last2=Kotcher |first2=J. |last3=Maibach |first3=E. |last4=Rosenthal |first4=S. |last5=Leiserowitz |first5=A. |title=Who is willing to participate in non-violent civil disobedience for the climate? |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=25 January 2022 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/non-violent-civil-disobedience-climate-participant/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{campbell2022who, author = {Campbell, E. and Kotcher, J. and Maibach, E. and Rosenthal, S. and Leiserowitz, A.}, title = {{Who is willing to participate in non-violent civil disobedience for the climate?}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/non-violent-civil-disobedience-climate-participant/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }