What Encourages or Discourages Protest Mobilisation in the UK? A COM-B Analysis Across Diverse Activist Groups.

This research aims to identify the psychological, social, and contextual factors that influence mobilisation within UK in person political and environmental protests. Since 2023 the UK has been a rise protest activity and increased police intervention. This study examines the barriers and enablers to future protest mobilisation with a focus on how individuals perceive police involvement. By applying the COM-B model, the project moves beyond traditional approaches to mobilisation research and frames mobilisation as a behavioural outcome. Data will be collected through 15 to 20 semi-structured qualitative interviews with activists from diverse groups. The analysis will employ inductive thematic methods followed by deductive mapping to the COM-B framework to generate a comprehensive understanding of the barriers and enablers affecting protest participation in the current UK climate.