GLOBAL PROTEST ACTIVITY: SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS AND TRENDS

Abstract

This article examines contemporary trends in the development of protest activity worldwide within the context of the socio-economic and political transformations of the twenty-first century. The research identifies and analyzes the principal drivers of the growing protest movements, including social inequality, political polarization, economic crises, societal digitalization, and network-based forms of collective mobilization. Particular attention is devoted to the analysis of the economic determinants of protest activity. The paper systematizes the major waves of global protests that occurred between 2000 and 2026 and explores their relationship with macroeconomic processes. Based on an examination of protest movements during 2025-2026, the study characterizes their key causes, distinctive features, and socio-political consequences across different countries. The findings indicate that contemporary protest activity is increasingly shaped by the prominent role of youth participation, the expansion of digital coordination mechanisms, and the growing influence of socio-economic factors on protest mobilization. The study concludes that modern protest activity constitutes a systemic form of societal response to global crises and structural development imbalances.