Research

Professor Anja Neundorf, University of Glasgow

"Mobilising for Democracy Under Authoritarianism: The Power of Social Media Campaigns"
Wednesday, 22 April 2026. 15:00
Room 386AB ASBS

Abstract

Pro-democratic organisations in electoral authoritarian regimes face legal and financial barriers that limit public engagement.  Can social media campaigns, powered by paid advertisements, help mobilise volunteers for democratic causes? This study explores this question through an online field experiment in Turkey, a key case of modern authoritarianism.  In partnership with a major Turkish NGO, we conducted a two-week paid social media campaign leading up to the 2023 general election.  Using a randomised design, we tested the impact of targeted ads on the re-recruitment of election monitors.  The intervention increased volunteer sign-ups by 27%and reduced the share of districts with no volunteer sign-ups by 19% in treated districts. Treatment effects were strongest in opposition-leaning and economically disadvantaged areas.  These findings highlight social media campaigns as a scalable, cost-effective tool for civic engagement under repression. The study advances research on democracy promotion, civic education, and the role of technology in political mobilisation.

Bio

Anja Neundorf is Professor of Politics and Research Methods in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow. She is currently leading the European Research Council Consolidator Grant Democracy under Threat: How Education Can Save It (DEMED).

Before joining Glasgow, she held a position at the University of Nottingham from 2013 to 2019 and was a Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellow in political science at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, from 2010 to 2012. She completed her PhD at the University of Essex in 2010.

Her research sits at the intersection of political behaviour, research methods and comparative politics, with particular expertise in civic education, political socialisation and democratic engagement. Her work examines how political attitudes are formed and change over time, how education can strengthen democratic resilience, and how authoritarian legacies continue to shape contemporary political behaviour. Through the development of interdisciplinary datasets and experimental research, she has made significant contributions to understanding how citizens learn about, engage with and sustain democracy.

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First published: 13 April 2026