An aqueous dispersion of a multistage polymer, wherein the multistage polymer comprises: a polymer A comprising, by weight based on the weight of the polymer A, 15% or more of structural units of an α, β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, structural units of a monoethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomer, less than 0.1% of structural units of a hydrophobic associated monomer, and optionally structural units of a crosslinker selected from a C 3 -C 20 alkylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, a poly(alkylene glycol) di(meth)acrylate, and combinations thereof; and a polymer B comprising, by weight based on the weight of the polymer B, 15% or more of structural units of an α, β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, structural units of a monoethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomer, from 0.1% to 60% by weight of structural units of a hydrophobic associated monomer, and structural units of a crosslinker selected from a C 3 -C 20 alkylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, a poly(alkylene glycol) di(meth)acrylate, and combinations thereof; wherein the weight ratio of the polymer A to the polymer B is from 95:5 to 55:45; wherein the monoethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomers and are each independently selected from an alkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acids, a vinyl aromatic monomer, a vinyl ester of carboxylic acids, an ethylenically unsaturated nitrile, or mixtures thereof; wherein the hydrophobic associated monomers and each independently have the structure of formula I, H 2 C=C CO 2 (CH 2 CH 2 O) n (CH(R 1)CH 2 O) m R 2, wherein R is H or CH 3, R 1 is a C 1 -C 2 alkyl group, R 2 is an aralkyl phenyl group or a Cs-C 50 linear or branched alkyl group, n is an integer of from 6 to 100, and m is an integer of from 0 to 50, provided that n^m and m+n is from 6 to 100; and wherein the multistage polymer is prepared by multistage free-radical polymerization comprising forming the polymer A in the first stage and the polymer B in the second stage. a polymer A comprising, by weight based on the weight of the polymer A, 15% or more of structural units of an α, β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, structural units of a monoethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomer, less than 0.1% of structural units of a hydrophobic associated monomer, and optionally structural units of a crosslinker selected from a C 3 -C 20 alkylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, a poly(alkylene glycol) di(meth)acrylate, and combinations thereof; and 15% or more of structural units of an α, β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, structural units of a monoethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomer, less than 0.1% of structural units of a hydrophobic associated monomer, and optionally structural units of a crosslinker selected from a C 3 -C 20 alkylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, a poly(alkylene glycol) di(meth)acrylate, and combinations thereof; and a polymer B comprising, by weight based on the weight of the polymer B, 15% or more of structural units of an α, β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, structural units of a monoethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomer, from 0.1% to 60% by weight of structural units of a hydrophobic associated monomer, and structural units of a crosslinker selected from a C 3 -C 20 alkylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, a poly(alkylene glycol) di(meth)acrylate, and combinations thereof; wherein the weight ratio of the polymer A to the polymer B is from 95:5 to 55:45; wherein the monoethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomers and are each independently selected from an alkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acids, a vinyl aromatic monomer, a vinyl ester of carboxylic acids, an ethylenically unsaturated nitrile, or mixtures thereof; wherein the hydrophobic associated monomers and each independently have the structure of formula I, H 2 C=C CO 2 (CH 2 CH 2 O) n (CH(R 1)CH 2 O) m R 2, wherein R is H or CH 3, R 1 is a C 1 -C 2 alkyl group, R 2 is an aralkyl phenyl group or a Cs-C 50 linear or branched alkyl group, n is an integer of from 6 to 100, and m is an integer of from 0 to 50, provided that n^m and m+n is from 6 to 100; and wherein the multistage polymer is prepared by multistage free-radical polymerization comprising forming the polymer A in the first stage and the polymer B in the second stage. 15% or more of structural units of an α, β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, structural units of a monoethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomer, from 0.1% to 60% by weight of structural units of a hydrophobic associated monomer, and structural units of a crosslinker selected from a C 3 -C 20 alkylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, a poly(alkylene glycol) di(meth)acrylate, and combinations thereof; wherein the weight ratio of the polymer A to the polymer B is from 95:5 to 55:45; wherein the monoethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomers and are each independently selected from an alkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acids, a vinyl aromatic monomer, a vinyl ester of carboxylic acids, an ethylenically unsaturated nitrile, or mixtures thereof; wherein the hydrophobic associated monomers and each independently have the structure of formula I, H 2 C=C CO 2 (CH 2 CH 2 O) n (CH(R 1)CH 2 O) m R 2, wherein R is H or CH 3, R 1 is a C 1 -C 2 alkyl group, R 2 is an aralkyl phenyl group or a Cs-C 50 linear or branched alkyl group, n is an integer of from 6 to 100, and m is an integer of from 0 to 50, provided that n^m and m+n is from 6 to 100; and wherein the multistage polymer is prepared by multistage free-radical polymerization comprising forming the polymer A in the first stage and the polymer B in the second stage.