Leiden University Student Repository

Veen, Pien de (2021)

PROTESTING AND GOVERNMENT RESPONSE: THE FACTORS INFLUENCING PUBLIC OPINION IN THE NETHERLANDS

Bachelor thesis | Security Studies (BSc)

This research examined the factors that influence the public perception of government response towards protests. A survey with a small sample size (N = 135) was used to acquire the data. The results show that threat perception matters for the public’s preferred government response towards protests. The research found that policing measures were preferred more when people protesting against a new government policy began using violence against the police and destroyed public property. Additionally, the results showed that the subject of the protest matters for the threat perception. Policing measures were preferred more when people were protesting against the coronavirus lockdown than when they were protesting against a new government policy. Anti-lockdown protestors were thus deemed more threatening than people protesting against a new government policy. This was the case in a normal protesting situation and when people protested in an unauthorized location.

Protest

Protests

Government response

Public Perception

Factors

Threat Perception

Author

Veen, Pien de

Faculty

Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs

Supervisors

Klein, G.R.E.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en