PROMOTING DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP ONLINE:
Challenges and New Directions in Civic Education
Who are we?
We are an international team of academic researchers who have conducted numerous experiments on the impact of online adult citizenship education on democratic citizenship in over 30 countries worldwide, including extensive research in Turkey.
The project DEMED ("Democracy Under Threat: How Education can Save it") is funded by the ERC and led by Professor Anja Neundorf (University of Glasgow).
Policy Brief and Policy Recommendations
In this policy brief, we summarise our research and include a series of policy recommendations based on our findings.
(i) Reclaim digital platforms for democracy
Authoritarian and populist actors dominate online spaces. Pro-democracy educators and institutions must actively re-enter them with credible, creative, and emotionally engaging content.
(ii) Invest in civic education, especially online
Digital civic education is one of the most cost-effective tools for strengthening democratic resilience, particularly among young and politically disengaged citizens.
(iii) Protect paid civic content
Regulations on political advertising should distinguish between manipulative campaigning and non-partisan, pro-democratic education.
(iv) Keep messages positive and hopeful
Fear-based appeals reinforce division. Hope and pride in democracy’s achievements inspire learning and engagement.
(v) Focus on liberal-democratic principles
Teaching about rights, institutions and pluralism has more lasting effects than emphasising material benefits or national pride.
DEMED Policy Brief. Lecture slides - Professor Neundorf
.
