Politics or Platform: How Social Identity and News Consumption Shaped Perceptions of U.S. University Pro-Palestine Encampment Protests

This study examines how patterns of media consumption and demographic composition shape public perceptions of the pro-Palestine campus encampments that emerged across the United States in late 2023. Drawing on social identity theory and media framing theory, the research explores whether public support for protest goals and tactics, as well as perceptions of the protests’ effectiveness in generating awareness and political change, are better predicted by news source preference or by identity-based demographic characteristics such as age, education level, and political affiliation. Using survey data from 968 U.S. adults recruited via Prolific, the study finds that while social media and student-run news sources are associated with higher support for the encampments, traditional outlets like cable and network news are linked to lower support. Political identity consistently emerged as the strongest predictor of both support and perceived effectiveness. Overall, the findings suggest that while media environments shape the narratives audiences encounter, identity-based interpretation plays a dominant role in shaping evaluations of protest movements. These findings highlight the interplay between identity-driven interpretation and media framing, providing a clearer understanding of the challenges protest movements face when attempting to shape public opinion in fragmented media environments.