Do Radical Ideas Lead to Support for Radical Actions? Exploring the Connection Between Radical Environmentalist Beliefs, Support for Radical Protest Forms and Perceived Governmental Efficacy

Radical environmental protests (REPs) have become more frequent and, in some contexts, more supported by the public. Amid ongoing climate change, biodiversity loss, government backsliding on environmental goals, and political polarization, REP is likely to grow, with implications for both social and environmental sustainability. This study investigates associations between REP, general pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, more radical environmental beliefs such as anti-speciesism (AS), and perceptions of government efficacy. Using UK survey data from 2024–2025 (N = 1163), we assessed support for REP through established measures like the Nature Connectedness Scale and New Ecological Paradigm, alongside new scales measuring principled support for radical protest and perceived governmental efficacy. Moderated multiple regression analysis found that AS significantly predicts support for REP, even when controlling for general pro-environmental behaviour, but engagement in public environmental actions was an even stronger predictor. Perceived governmental efficacy did not moderate these relationships but was an independent positive predictor—indicating that support for REP is linked to political optimism, rather than disillusionment. These findings challenge assumptions that REP emerges from political disengagement, suggesting instead that it reflects a broader, hopeful commitment to environmental action in the face of global crisis.