The use of an addition polymer A composed in copolymerized form of 0.1% to 40% by weight of at least one C3 to C30 alkene, 40% to 99.9% by weight of at least one ethylenically unsaturated C3 to C6 monocarboxylic acid, 0% to 50% by weight of at least one ethylenically unsaturated C4 to C12 dicarboxylic acid and/or of the ethylenically unsaturated dicarboxylic monoalkyl esters or dicarboxylic anhydrides obtainable from said acid, and 0% to 30% by weight of at least one other ethylenically unsaturated compound which is copolymerizable with the aforementioned monomers, as a dispersing assistant in free-radically initiated aqueous emulsion or suspension polymerization.