Pride and Protest: Horizontal and Vertical Emotional Response in the Aftermath of the 2019 Chilean Spring

Abstract

A large body of literature has shown that emotions can motivate collective action. Nevertheless, the effect that collective actions could have on emotion has been less researched. This study examined the effect of protests on bystanders’ pride, using the case of the 2019 “Chilean Spring.” Our findings indicate that a set of indicators of pride, representing the country, the status quo, and the social structures, were negatively affected by the crisis, which suggests vertical emotional response. Protests’ frame signaled that not everything in the country was as thought, generating a moral shock that affected shared emotions about the country. However, pride toward fellow citizens was positively affected. Some of these effects are stronger for people with an intermediate educational level. These findings contribute to the literature on the impact of protests showing that unexpected, loosely organized, and massive movements can trigger generalized emotions.