What Made People Take to the Streets? A Study on the Determinants of Protests in Brazil Based on Google Trends Data

In the literature on political participation through contestation, the apparent difficulties that can hinder the realization of protests are extensively debated. The high costs associated with the act of protesting can make it an option of political participation mainly associated with the high class. The importance of certain institutional frameworks that more easily give vent to a society that protests is also discussed. Psychological variables are as well explored in this area of Political Science: lacking the horizon of possibilities, certain societies can become distrustful of the efficiency of protest, submitting to the status quo, thus creating a dulled scenario of normality in the face of socioeconomic injustices. This work intended to study the determinants that could overcome these adversities in the Brazilian context. It was concluded in favor of the thesis of the mobilizing event as a relevant channel to incite protests – such as the increase in bus fares in 2013, and the World Cup in 2014. In 2015, however, there is a change in the mobilizing agenda, leading us to the second factor that most easily mobilizes Brazilians: the blaming of personalities or institutions.