ABSTRACT
Researchers interested in the individual level causes of protest participation have long been concerned with the paradox of collective action posed by Olson (1965). Assuming that people are rational actors making participatory decisions based on a calculation of costs and benefits, it would seem reasonable to expect most people to act as free riders. Put into the context of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong under examination, one may deduce a tendency for people to free ride based on the following premises:
1. Participating in the July 1 protests involved non-negligible costs-at least it took away a public holiday that could have been spent in other ways.
