Protest Attitudes and Protest Behaviour in Georgia

Abstract

In our article, we explore the attitudes and behaviours of the Georgian adult population towards protest actions and the factors motivating political mobilization in Georgia in 2024, particularly around the "law of Georgia on transparency of foreign influence". We combine quantitative insights from the Caucasus Barometer 2024 survey with an interpretative contextualization of the survey results. Our quantitative findings reveal that while almost 60% approve of protests against the government, 6% of the Georgian adult population (approximately 185,000) actually participated in protests over the past 12 months (as of April/May 2024). In addition, we find that young people aged 18 to 34, those living in the capital, supporters of Georgia's membership in the European Union (EU), and those who trust not pro-governmental television (TV) channels are more likely to support protests. When it comes to participating in protests, findings show that men were more likely to attend protests than women, young people were more active than older individuals, and those residing in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, were more likely to participate than those living in other urban or rural areas. Finally, we identify a significant correlation between participation in protests and support for Georgia's membership in the European Union (EU). We interpret these results by drawing on contextual factors, namely Georgia's recent protest experiences and history, demographics, and value convictions.