Resisting Lockdown: The Influence of COVID-19 Restrictions on Social Unrest

Abstract Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented social and political challenges. Mitigation strategies often disrupt daily lives of citizens constrain rights privileges. Policies intended contain disease spread have provoked resentment, resistance, backlash. We examine extent which specific policy responses influence frequency civil unrest. Combining insights from both grievance opportunity models dissent, we contend that pandemic-response policies are most likely lead unrest when grievances opportunities by disease-mitigation reinforce each other. test our arguments with nuanced information on pandemic-mitigation policies, combined geolocated events data COVID-19-related activities. find such as workplace school closures, induce intense reduce cost engaging in collective mobilization, associated increases dissent restrict for restrictions public transportation, number Notably, economic support attenuate effects closures dissent. Our results illustrate varying depending how they inspire relate create.