The rise of unconventional political participation in Italy: measurement equivalence and trends, 1976-2009

What are the most significant trends in unconventional participation in Italy and how do we measure them? This article analyses the rise of unconventional participation in Italy from 1976 to 2009. We offer an overview of the development of unconventional participation, illustrating the cycles of protest that have occurred since the mid 1960s and how this more intense form of participation has changed over the course of forty years. Then, we test a model demonstrating that the concept of unconventional participation can be measured using five items and that it is equivalent over time. The results show that there has been a significant increase in levels of unconventional participation and a change in its distribution.