Social movements have the power to drive large-scale social change, but the effectiveness of disruptive tactics in achieving this change is uncertain. This is especially true for the animal advocacy movement, where there is much less evidence on the impact of these tactics. To shed light on this debate, we conducted nationally representative surveys before and after the disruption of the Grand National horse-racing event by Animal Rising. This event received huge amounts of media coverage and was one of the most publicised animal rights protest in recent UK history.
To our knowledge, this is the first time public opinion polling has been used to test the impact of a large-scale animal rights protest. As such, we believe it provides new insights into the dynamics of social movements and the role of radical activists in driving change for animals.
Join us to hear about the findings of this novel research and the implications for social movement actors, from campaigning groups to funders. We'll also have time for a Q&A so feel free to bring any questions you may have!
