1 Does Protest Signify Dissatisfaction? Demonstrators in a postindustrial democracy Pippa Norris, Stefaan Walgrave, and Peter Van Aelst Pippa Norris Stefaan Walgrave Peter Van Aelst Kennedy School of Government Faculty of Social and Political Science Faculty of Social and Political Science Harvard University University of Antwerp University of Antwerp Cambridge, Korte Sint-Annastraat 6 Universiteitsplein 1 MA 02138 USA B-2000, Antwerp, Belgium B-2610, Antwerp, Belgium Pippa_Norris@Harvard.edu Tel: +32 3 204 10 72 Tel: +32 3 820.28.91 www.pippanorris.com walgrave@uia.ua.ac.be vanaelst@uia.ac.be Abstract: The rise in demonstrations activism raises important questions about the causes of this phenomenon, in particular who engages in demonstrations. Three accounts exist in the literature: emphasizing the importance of political disaffection, strategic resource, and context. After comparing rise in protest politics in two dozen older and newer democracies, the study focuses upon Belgium, a postindustrial society exemplifying these developments. The social background, attitudinal, and behavioral characteristics of demonstrators are scrutinized drawing upon the Belgian general election survey of 1999 and surveys conducted among the participants of seven different demonstrations in Belgium (1998-2001). The study establishes that, compared with party members and civic joiners, demonstrators are similar to the Belgian population and there is little evidence that Belgian demonstrators are anti-state radicals. Yet some significant social, attitudinal, and behavioral contrasts demarcate different groups of demonstrators, which supports the contextual perspective. Far from representing a major threat or challenge to the state, the evidence in this case study suggests that demonstrations have become one of the major channels of public participation in representative democracies. Keywords: political participation, demonstrations, new social movements Reference: Pippa Norris, Stefaan Walgrave, and Peter Van Aelst, Does protest signify dissatisfaction? Demonstrators in a postindustrial democracy, In: Mariano Torcal and José Ramon Montero (eds.) Political Dissatisfaction in Contemporary Democracies, 2006, Routledge, London and New York, 279-309.