Mona Lisa is not smiling anymore: climate protests targeting artwork and their impact on public opinion

Abstract Since May 2022, activists in many countries have been protesting, targeting artworks in famous museums and squares, capturing the attention of citizens, media, and authorities. This new wave of protests was not immune to criticism from bystanders, media, and public institutions. Some governments issued legislation to specifically sanction climate activists who target cultural heritage. Hence, the question arises as to how exposure to such protests affects citizens’ attitudes and behaviors toward the environment. To address that question, this study relies on two original datasets. First, a data collection of all instances of climate protests targeting artwork that occurred from May 2022 to August 2024. Second, an original pre-registered survey experiment ( n ≈ 1,000), conducted in August–September 2024 in Italy, where the highest concentrations of such acts of protest were recorded. This paper examines whether exposure to climate protests targeting artwork negatively impacts public opinion levels of environmental concern, pro-environmental voting, and pro-environmental behavior. The results suggest that public opinion does not endorse climate protests targeting artwork, but exposure to them has no meaningful causal effect on their stances on environmental protection.