Replication Data for: The Strategy of Protest Against Covid-19 Containment Policies in Germany

Most protest against Covid-19 containment policies in Germany is organized. We suggest that the organization of protest events aims at gaining visibility and at keeping the movement alive and growing. For this purpose, successful mobilization of its support base into visible protest events and media attention are strategically important. We show how electoral strength of mainstream political parties, the state and the dynamics of the pandemic, and the stringency of containment policies inform the timing and location of protest events. We test the predictions of our theory by analyzing the number of protest events taking place each month over the period March 2020 to January 2021 in 401 German districts. We find robust support for our predictions with some notable differences in the magnitude and determinants of protest between districts in Western and Eastern Germany.德国境内针对新冠疫情防控政策的抗议活动大多为有组织行动。本研究认为，抗议活动的组织目标在于提升可见度，并维持运动的存续与发展。为此，将支持者群体成功动员至线下可见的抗议活动中并获得媒体关注，均具有关键战略意义。本研究阐释了主流政党的选举实力、国家治理状态、疫情态势以及防控政策的严格程度，如何影响抗议活动的举办时机与选址。我们通过分析2020年3月至2021年1月期间，德国401个行政区每月发生的抗议活动数量，对理论预测进行实证检验。研究结果为理论预测提供了稳健的实证支撑，同时德国东西部行政区的抗议活动规模及其影响因素存在显著差异。