This should not be surprising. Having no money to fund research, activists never think about what they would like done. There are some activists who are hostile to academics. Some activist organisations are inundated by academics and students who want to study them. This takes up the activists' time while providing little in return.
Answers are diverse.
Some want studies specifically geared to helping current campaigns. Others want more general treatments of issues that will educate the public. One theoretically sophisticated activist asked for an analytical examination of current activist efforts, issues and especially campaigns, in the context of institutions and the political and economic environment. Here are some of the projects suggested for a sympathetic STS researcher. Critique of peer review.