Relevance & Research Question

The emergence of social media has transformed the way people consume and share information. As such platforms widely lack mechanisms to ensure content quality, their increasing popularity has raised concerns about the spread of fake news and conspiracy beliefs – with potentially harmful effects on public opinion and social cohesion.

Our research aims to understand the underlying mechanisms of media perception and sharing behaviour when people are confronted with factual vs conspiracy-based media contents. Under which circumstances do people believe in a media content? Do traditional indicators of quality matter? Are pre-existing views more important than quality (confirmation bias)? How is perceived credibility linked to sharing behaviour?

Methods & Data

To empirically assess these questions, we administered a survey experiment to a general population sample in Germany via Bilendi in August 2023. As respondents with a general susceptibility to conspiracy beliefs are of major substantive interest, we made use of responses from a previous survey to oversample “conspiracy thinkers”.

Respondents were asked to evaluate the credibility of different media contents related to three vividly debated topics: vaccines against Covid-19, the climate crisis, and the Ukraine war. We analyze these evaluations regarding the objective quality of the content (measured by author identity and data source), its visual layout (newspaper vs tweet), and previous respondent beliefs on the respective topic to measure confirmation bias.

Results

Our findings suggest that the inclination to confirm pre-existing beliefs is the most important predictor for believing a media content, irrespective of its objective quality. This general tendency applies to both, the mainstream society and “conspiracy thinkers”. However, according to self-reports, the latter group is much more likely to share media contents they believe in.

Added Value

Methodologically, we use an interesting survey experiment that allows us to vary opinion (in)consistency and objective quality of media contents simultaneously, meaning that we can estimate the relative effect of these features on the credibility of media contents. We provide insights into the underlying mechanisms of the often debated spread of conspiracy beliefs through online platforms, with their practical implications for public opinion formation.

Relevance & Research Question
This study addresses a pressing concern in the digital age: the evolution of (online) political participation among young adults. As digital platforms reshape how society engages with politics, traditional definitions and measurements of political involvement require reassessment. The research seeks to unravel the perceived dichotomy between declining conventional political activities and the burgeoning new forms of engagement in digital spaces. Specifically, our research questions aim to identify and comprehend the spectrum of political participation online and offline among young adults, understand topic-centric engagements, and analyze how participation behaviors differ based on factors like education and digital service utilization. Ultimately, by gauging the behaviors of young adults in the realm of political engagement, this research contributes to both the refinement of existing definitions of political participation and the debate on youth's political engagement trajectory in contemporary settings.
Methods & Data
We will conduct an online survey of 16–29-year-olds in December 2023. The respondents for this survey will be recruited via Meta advertisements.
Results
Since the survey will take place in December 2023, nothing can be said about the results at this point. The results will be available in early February 2024.
Added Value
This study delves into the evolving definitions of political participation and offers methodological insights. It, therefore, explores what can be seen as political participation from the new possibilities digital space offers. Using both closed and open-ended survey questions, we aim to capture a broader spectrum of (online) political participation, potentially filling some gaps in conventional survey techniques. This approach allows us a more comprehensive understanding of the subject. Additionally, we are working to adjust and propose survey items that reflect current (online) political participation patterns. Through this, our research provides a clearer picture of young adults' political engagement and suggests ways to improve data collection for future research. Finally, our study also provides insight into the extent to which Meta advertisements are suitable for recruiting young people into surveys.

Relevance & Research Question:

Within the backdrop of Israel's turbulent 2022 elections, the fifth round of elections within three years, This study delves into the complex interplay between political trust, efficacy, and engagement. It seeks to unravel how individuals' trust in politicians and the political system, coupled with their sense of political efficacy, influences their online and offline engagement in the political process. The research question focuses on identifying the specific predictors of political engagement in a context characterized by political unpredictability and frequent elections.

Methods & Data:

The study analyzes a representative survey of 530 Israeli respondents during the 2022 Israeli election period. The research evaluates the influence of various variables. These include trust in politicians, the political system, and political efficacy in online and offline political engagement. The analysis focuses on the differentiation between online engagement, such as social media activity, and offline engagement, like attending rallies or voting.

Results:

Statistical analysis reveals a robust correlation between political efficacy and both forms of political engagement (r = .62 for online, r = .57 for offline, p < .01). Trust in the political system emerges as a significant predictor of offline engagement (β = .36, p < .01), while trust in politicians is more strongly associated with online engagement (β = .41, p < .01). Notably, a mediation analysis indicates that political efficacy serves as a mediator in the relationship between trust in politicians and online engagement (indirect effect = 0.15, 95% CI [0.07, 0.24], p < .01). In contrast, such mediating effects between system trust and offline engagement are not observed.

Added Value:

By examining the nuanced factors influencing political engagement during political uncertainty, this study offers new insights into the differentiated impact of trust in politicians and the political system. It underscores the distinct psychological pathways that drive online and offline political engagement, enhancing our understanding of citizen behavior in democracies facing political instability. These findings have critical implications for political strategists, policymakers, and scholars seeking to foster civic engagement in similar contexts.