The present invention is concerned with novel monomers containing sulfonic acid groups or salts thereof and polymers thereof which are useful for many purposes, such as antistatic agents for textiles and other shaped articles formed of hydrophilic materials. They are useful for making copolymers that are particularly valuable in coating compositions, especially in the form of aqueous latices or organic solvent solutions thereof. Examples of the monomers are of the formula ##STR1## wherein R is hydrogen or lower (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl, such as methyl,A is an alkylene group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, at least 2 of which extend in one chain between the oxygen atoms, andX is an aromatic nucleus or an alkyl group, substituted by a sulfonic acid group and optionally one or more groups selected from sulfonic acid, carboxylic acid, and lower alkyl, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, or butyl.