Why Some Causes Ignite Campus Protests While Others Go Unnoticed

The Psychology Behind Campus Activism: Why Some Causes Spark Movements While Others Don’t

University campuses have long been incubators for activism, often sparking national conversations on pressing social and political issues. Over the past year, the war in Gaza has reignited this tradition, with student protests erupting across the United States and beyond. Demonstrations advocating for Palestinian rights and urging action on the conflict have dominated campus life, with nearly 400 protests occurring since the war began—accounting for one-fifth of all nationwide demonstrations during the same period.

While the Israel-Palestine conflict commands a unique ability to galvanize student movements, other humanitarian crises—such as the Uyghur genocide in China, the ongoing violence in Sudan's Darfur region, the persecution of ethnic minorities in Burma, and the humanitarian disaster in the Democratic Republic of Congo—fail to inspire comparable levels of activism.

This disparity raises important psychological and sociological questions: Why do certain causes ignite widespread campus movements while others remain hidden?