The Threats and Potentials of a Changing Political Information Environment

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Christian Schemer
• Subject Area: Communication Sciences ; Political Science
• Term: from 2020 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 440394263

• Final Report Year: 2024

Final Report Abstract

The challenging query of this study is: what are the consequences—beneficial or detrimental—of changes in the political information environment (PIE)? The research addresses the following questions: RQ1: What are the distinct strategies of media and news consumption (including political and public affairs news) described by participants? RQ2: What should a ‘healthy media diet’ consist of? RQ3: Which concerns, challenges, threats, or opportunities related to the political information environment are relevant to the participants? RQ4: Which attitudes and perceptions do participants hold toward such phenomena as: (a) news avoidance, (b) selective news exposure, and (c) disinformation? RQ5: What are the possible causes, consequences, and solutions to the challenges mentioned by the participants? In five thematic work-packages, each work-package based on a different methodological approach, these research questions will be addressed empirically.

Publications

• Præsentation af forskningsprojekt [Presentation of a research project]. faktaogfake.dk [teaching and study platform for upper secondary education]. Farum: Henrik Poulsen—Medier og Læring I/S, 2020
  Hopmann, D.N. & Rønlev, R.
  
• Dezinformacja z perspektywy obywatela: przyczyny, źródła, konsekwencje oraz rozwiązania [Disinformation from citizens’ point of view: sources, consequences, and solutions]. Paper presented at the conference „Polish media system w procesie zmian” [Polish media system in the process of change], Kielce, Poland (December 2, 2021)
  Halagiera, Denis
  
• Dieta medialna z perspektywy uczniów i nauczycieli [Media diet according to students and teachers]. Presentation at the 7th Conference “Szkoła XXI wieku” [School of 21st Century: Digital education and media literacy], Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland (December 10, 2021
  Stępińska, Agnieszka & Halagiera, Denis
  
• Disinformation: causes, consequences, and solutions. Findings from quantitative and qualitative studies on fake news perception in Poland. Paper presented at the Serbian Political Science Association Annual Conference, Belgrade, Serbia (September 25, 2021)
  Stępińska, Agnieszka & Halagiera, Denis
  
• Do people ever learn from social media? A cross-national and cross-temporal analysis of social media use on political knowledge. Presented at ECREA meeting (online) (September 09, 2021)
  Van Aelst, P., Patrick van Erkel, Laia Castro, Karolina Koc-Michalska, James Stanyer, Frank Esser, Toril Aalberg & Jesper Strömbäck.
  
• Does a Crisis Change News Habits? A Comparative Study of the Effects of COVID-19 on News Media Use in 17 European Countries, Engaging the Essential Work of Care: Communication, Connectedness, and Social Justice, International Communication Association (ICA), Virtual conference (May 2021)
  Van Aelst, P., Toth, F., Castro, L., Štětka, V., de Vreese, C., Cardenal, A. S., Corbu, N. (…) & Theocharis, Y.
  
• Does a Crisis Change News Habits? A Comparative Study of the Effects of COVID-19 on News Media Use in 17 European Countries. Digital Journalism, 9(9), 1208-1238.
  Van Aelst, Peter; Toth, Fanni; Castro, Laia; Štětka, Václav; de Vreese, Claes; Aalberg, Toril; Cardenal, Ana Sofia; Corbu, Nicoleta; Esser, Frank; Hopmann, David Nicolas; Koc-Michalska, Karolina; Matthes, Jörg; Schemer, Christian; Sheafer, Tamir; Splendore, Sergio; Stanyer, James; Stępińska, Agnieszka; Strömbäck, Jesper & Theocharis, Yannis
  
• Does the platform matter? Social media and COVID-19 conspiracy theory beliefs in 17 countries. New Media & Society, 25(12), 3412-3437.
  Theocharis, Yannis; Cardenal, Ana; Jin, Soyeon; Aalberg, Toril; Hopmann, David Nicolas; Strömbäck, Jesper; Castro, Laia; Esser, Frank; Van Aelst Peter; de Vreese, Claes; Corbu, Nicoleta; Koc-Michalska, Karolina; Matthes, Joerg; Schemer, Christian; Sheafer, Tamir; Splendore, Sergio; Stanyer, James; Stępińska, Agnieszka & Štětka, Václav
  
• Navigating High-Choice European Political Information Environments: a Comparative Analysis of News User Profiles and Political Knowledge. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 27(4), 827-859.
  Castro, Laia; Strömbäck, Jesper; Esser, Frank; Van Aelst, Peter; de Vreese, Claes; Aalberg, Toril; Cardenal, Ana S.; Corbu, Nicoleta; Hopmann, David Nicolas; Koc-Michalska, Karolina; Matthes, Jörg; Schemer, Christian; Sheafer, Tamir; Splendore, Sergio; Stanyer, James; Stępińska, Agnieszka; Štětka, Václav & Theocharis, Yannis
  
• Oczekiwania polskich odbiorców mediów w świetle badań jakościowych [Polish media users’ expectations: qualitative approach]. Paper presented at the conference „Polish media system w procesie zmian” [Polish media system in the process of change], Kielce, Poland (December 2, 2021)
  Stępińska, Agnieszka
  
• Perceived Exposure to Misinformation Fuels Emotional Concerns about COVID-19: A Cross-Country, Multi-Method Investigation. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Virtual conference (August 2021)
  Matthes, J., Corbu, N., Jin, S., Theocharis, Y., Schemmer, C., Koc-Michalska, K. (…) & Štětka, V.
  
• Platform Affordances and COVID-19 Conspiracy Beliefs: Evidence from 17 Countries, Engaging the Essential Work of Care: Communication, Connectedness, and Social Justice, International Communication Association (ICA), Virtual conference (May 2021)
  Cardenal, A. S., Theocharis, Y., Jin, S., Strömbӓck, J., Hopmann, D., Aalberg, T., van Aelst, P., Castro, L., Corbu, N. (…) & de Vreese, C.
  
• The Anatomy of European Political Information Environments: A Demand-Driven Analysis of How They Perform and Inform Democracy, Engaging the Essential Work of Care: Communication, Connectedness, and Social Justice, International Communication Association (ICA), Virtual conference (May 2021)
  Castro, L., Strömbӓck, J., Esser, F., Van Aelst, P., de Vreese, C., Aalberg, T., Cardenal, A. S., Corbu, N. (…) & Stepinska, A.
  
• Why do people avoid political news? Findings from quantitative and qualitative studies on news consumption in Poland. Paper presented at the 13th Central and East European Communication and Media Conference, Kraków, Poland (October 22-23, 2021)
  Stępińska, Agnieszka & Halagiera, Denis
  
• A cross-national and cross-temporal analysis of social media use on political knowledge: Do people learn? 72nd ICA Annual conference, Paris, France (May 25-30, 2022)
  Van Aelst, P., van Erkel, P., Castro, L., Koc-Michalska, K., Stanyer, J., Esser, F., Aalberg, T. & Strömbäck, J.
  
• A qualitative examination of citizens’ (political) media diets across generations in five countries, NORFACE Governance Mid-term Conference, Vienna, Austria (September 22-24, 2022)
  Stanyer, J., Hopmann, D. N., Stępińska, A., Halagiera, D., Terren, L., Gehle, L. (…) & Schemer, C.
  
• A qualitative examination of citizens’ political media diets across generations in five European countries, ECREA 2022 9th European Communication Conference, Aarhus, Denmark (October 19-22, 2022)
  Hopmann, D. N., Stępińska, A., Stanyer, J., Halagiera, D., Terren, L., Cardenal, A.S. (…) & Meltzer, C.E.
  
• Causes, consequences, and solutions. Findings from a mixed-method study on disinformation perception across generations in five countries (Germany, Poland, Romania, Spain, the UK), ECREA 2022 9th European Communication Conference, Aarhus, Denmark (October 19-22, 2022)
  Halagiera, D., van Erkel, P., Gehle, L., Meltzer, C.E. & Terren, L.
  
• Causes, consequences, and solutions. Findings from a qualitative study on disinformation perception across generations in five countries (Germany, Poland, Romania, Spain, and the UK), NORFACE Governance Mid-term Conference, Vienna, Austria (September 22-24, 2022).
  Halagiera, D., van Erkel, P., Gehle, L., Meltzer, C.E. & Terren, L.
  
• Democracy at the crossroads. Opening roundtable session at the Congress of the Polish Political Science Association, Wrocław, Poland (September 19, 2022)
  Stępińska, Agnieszka
  
• Disinformation from the citizens' and educators' perspective: causes, sources, consequences, and solutions, Conference of the Committee for Social Communication and Media Sciences of PAN, Warsaw, Poland (November 9, 2022)
  Stępińska, Agnieszka & Halagiera, Denis
  
• Elite and public perceptions about the current threats to the political information environment, ECREA 2022 9th European Communication Conference, Aarhus, Denmark (October 19-22, 2022)
  Corbu, N., Raluca, B. & Gavrilescu, M.
  
• Elite perceptions of threats to the political information environment across five European countries, ECREA 2022 9th European Communication Conference, Aarhus, Denmark (October 19-22, 2022)
  Stępińska, A., Stanyer, J., Hopmann, D. N., Halagiera, D., Terren, L., Gehle, L. (…) & Schemer, C.
  
• Platforms’ affordances and the spread of disinformation, IPSA RC10 and RC22 supported workshop: Information disorder in times of crises, Dubrovnik, Croatia (September 19-21, 2022)
  Koc-Michalska, K., Aalberg, T., Van Aelst, P., Cardenal, A.S., Corbu, N., de Vreese, C. (…) & van Erkel, P.
  
• The Effects of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Selective Exposure: Evidence from 17 Countries. Political Communication, 39(5), 674-696.
  Zoizner, Alon; Sheafer, Tamir; Castro, Laia; Aalberg, Toril; Cardenal, Ana S.; Corbu, Nicoleta; de Vreese, Claes; Esser, Frank; Hopmann, David Nicolas; Koc-Michalska, Karolina; Matthes, Jörg; Schemer, Christian; Splendore, Sergio; Stanyer, James; Stępińska, Agnieszka; Štětka, Václav; Strömbäck, Jesper; Theocharis, Yannis & Van, Aelst Peter
  
• The Relationship between Political Entertainment Media Use and Political Trust: A Comparative Study in 17 Countries, NORFACE Governance Mid-term Conference, Vienna, Austria (September 22-24, 2022)
  Schemer, C., Meltzer, C.E., Gehle, L., Van Aelst, P., Theocharis, Y., Strömbäck, J. (…) & Halagiera, D.
  
• The threats of a changing political information environment in Poland: journalists’ and politicians’ perspectives, 6TH PCA Congress: Media and society in the age of platforms, algorithms and data, Gdańsk, Poland (September 22-24, 2022)
  Stępińska, Agnieszka & Halagiera, Denis
  
• When do fact-checks work best? A cross-national experiment on the influence of the source and degree of politicization of fact-checks on the effectiveness to counter misinformation, ECPR General conference, Innsbruck, Austria (August 22-26, 2022)
  van Erkel, P., Van Aelst, P., de Vreese, C., Hopmann, D., Matthes, J. & Stanyer, J.,
  
• When do fact-checks work best? A cross-national experiment on the influence of the source and degree of politicization of fact-checks on the effectiveness to counter misinformation, NORFACE Governance Mid-term Conference, Vienna, Austria (September 22-24, 2022)
  van Erkel, P., Van Aelst, P., de Vreese, C., Hopmann, D., Matthes, J. & Stanyer, J.
  
• Combating disinformation with news literacy: An experimental study on the framing effects of news literacy messages. Workshop on Responsible Citizenship: Communication, Social, and Democratic Transitions, Paris, France (June 26-28, 2023)
  van Erkel, P., Van Aelst, P., de Vreese, C., Van Nieuwenborgh, J., Hameleers, M. & Hopmann, D.
  
• Combating misinformation with Media literacy. An experimental study on the framing effects of media literacy messages. The ECREA Political Communication Section Interim Conference (Berlin, August 31 – September 1, 2023)
  van Erkel, P., Claes de Vreese, Peter Van Aelst, Joren Van Nieuwenborgh, Michael Hameleers & David Hopmann
  
• Deception Detection in the Context of the Russia-Ukraine War: Evidence From Original Survey Data Collected in 19 Democracies, presentation at ICA 2023 in Toronto, CA (May 25-29, 2023)
  Gehle L. et al.
  
• Does selective exposure reduce belief accuracy? Evidence from survey and passive meter data across five Western democracies. The ECREA Political Communication Section Interim Conference (Berlin, August 31 – September 1, 2023)
  Cardenal, A., Ludovic Terren, Alon Zoizner & David Nicolas Hopmann
  
• Elite perceptions of threats to the political information environment across European Democracies: Different countries, shared perceptions?. The NORFACE GOVERNANCE projects THREATPIE-DATADRIVEN conference on Data, Media, and Democracy Building (Split, March 1-3, 2023)
  Stępińska, Agnieszka
  
• Obywatele w środowisku informacji politycznej: obszary badań i wyzwania metodologiczne. Zeszyty Prasoznawcze, 66(4 (256), 11-26.
  Stępińska, Agnieszka
  
• Participation in the panel discussion on 'Vaccinations and the Issue of Disinformation in the Media' at the conference 'The Significance of Communication in Building Social Awareness of COVID and Influenza Vaccinations.', Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, Poland (26-27.10.2023)
  Halagiera D.
  
• Public perceptions of disinformation and platforms’ affordances: The role of media use and previous knowledge. The ECREA Political Communication Section Interim Conference (Berlin, August 31 – September 1, 2023)
  Koc-Michalska K. et al.
  
• The Elections in Crisis: Media Coverage of the Postponed 2020 Presidential Elections in Poland. Przegląd Politologiczny(4), 169-183.
  Stępińska, Agnieszka
  
• The more you read the more you know? The relationship between news use behavior and (un)contested issue knowledge in 18 democracies, Presentation held at the CAP conference 2023 in Antwerp, BE (June 27-29)
  Gehle, L.
  
• The Perception of Social Cohesion and Media Use in Society: A Comparative Study. The ECREA Political Communication Section Interim Conference (Berlin, August 31 – September 1, 2023)
  Meltzer, Ch. Strömbäck, J., Gehle, L., Schemer, C. & Hopman, D.N.
  
• The Relationship of Political Entertainment Media Use and Political Trust: A Comparative Study in 18 Countries, presentation at ICA 2023 in Toronto, CA (May 25-29, 2023)
  Schemer C. et al.
  
• The Threats and Potentials of a Changing Political Information Environment. Roundtable entitled “Solution-based Political Communication” at the ECREA Political Communication Section Interim Conference (Berlin, August 31, 2023)
  Hopmann, D.N.
  
• Third person perceptions about detecting misinformation and fact-checking habits. Evidence from an 18-country survey. The ECREA Political Communication Section Interim Conference (Berlin, August 31 – September 1, 2023)
  Corbu, N., Halagiera, D., Jin, S., Stanyer, J., Strömbäck, J., Matthes, J., Aalberg, T., Van Aelst, P., Cardenal, A.S., van Erkel, P., Hopmann, D.N., Koc-Michalska, K., Meltzer, C., Schemer, C., Splendore, S., Stępińska, A., Štětka, V., Terren, L., Theocharis, Y., de Vreese, C. & Zoizner, A.
  
• Third person perceptions about fake news detection: Antecedents and potential effects on fact-checking across countries. The NORFACE GOVERNANCE projects THREATPIE-DATADRIVEN projects on Data, Media, and Democracy Building (Split, March 1-3, 2023)
  Corbu, N.
  
• What’s on the Menu for Today? Consumption Patterns, Threats and Opportunities of the High-Choice Media Environment. Springer Studies in Media and Political Communication, 145-174. Springer Nature Switzerland.
  Buturoiu, Raluca; Corbu, Nicoleta & Boțan, Mădălina
  
• When do fact-checks work best? A cross-national experiment on the influence of the source and degree of politicization of fact-checks on the effectiveness to counter misinformation, ICA Annual conference, Toronto, Canada (May 25-29, 2023)
  van Erkel, P., Van Aelst, P., de Vreese, C., Hopmann, D., Matthes, J. & Stanyer, J.
  
• Why Do People Fact-Check Mis- and Disinformation about the Russian War in Ukraine? The Role of Directional and Accuracy Motivations, presentation at ICA 2023 in Toronto, CA (May 25-29, 2023)
  Tulin, M. et al.
  
• WP3-results, The NORFACE GOVERNANCE projects THREATPIE-DATADRIVEN projects on Data, Media, and Democracy Building (Split, March 1-3, 2023)
  Cardenal, A.
  
• WP5-results, The NORFACE GOVERNANCE projects THREATPIE-DATADRIVEN projects on Data, Media, and Democracy Building (Split, March 1-3, 2023)
  van Erkel, P.
  
• A qualitative examination of (political) media diets across age cohorts in five countries. Communications, 50(2), 236-256.
  Hopmann, David Nicolas; Stępińska, Agnieszka; Stanyer, James; Halagiera, Denis; Terren, Ludovic; Gehle, Luisa; Meltzer, Christine E.; Buturoiu, Raluca; Corbu, Nicoleta; Cardenal, Ana S. & Schemer, Christian
  
• Challenges to the political information environment: talking to politicians, journalists and educators in five countries. Format: Panel discussion at the European Digital and Media Literacy Conference (Brussels, Belgium, February 28th, 2024)
  Stępińska, Agnieszka
  
• Combating misinformation with Media literacy. An experimental study on the influence of the format. Communicatie-etmaal (Rotterdam, February 8 - 9, 2024)
  van Erkel, P., Claes de Vreese, Peter Van Aelst, Joren Van Nieuwenborgh & David Hopmann
  
• Combating misinformation with media literacy. Experimental studies on the effects of media literacy messages. Format: Panel discussion at the European Digital and Media Literacy Conference (Brussels, Belgium, February 28th, 2024)
  Van Aelst, Peter
  
• Democratic Problem or Healthy Audience Practice? How Different Operationalization of News Avoidance Relate to Political Knowledge, Efficacy, and Life Satisfaction. NORFACE GOVERNANCE Final Conference 2024 (Vienna, Austria, February 15th, 2024)
  Kim Andersen, David Nicolas Hopmann, Klara Langmann, Christian Schemer & Morten Skovsgaard
  
• Evidence based policy making: suggesting media literacy interventions based on research about disinformation in Bulgaria and Romania. Format: Panel discussion at the European Digital and Media Literacy Conference (Brussels, Belgium, February 28th, 2024)
  Corbu, Nicoleta
  
• Fact-checking works everywhere? Results of a fact-checking experiment in 16 countries. Format: Panel discussion at the European Digital and Media Literacy Conference (Brussels, Belgium, February 28th, 2024)
  van Erkel, Patrick
  
• Misinformation Detection in the Context of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Evidence From Original Survey Data Collected in 19 Democracies. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 36(3).
  Gehle, Luisa; Hameleers, Michael; Tulin, Marina; de Vreese, Claes; Aalberg, Toril; Van Aelst, Peter; Cardenal, Ana Sofia; Corbu, Nicoleta; van Erkel, Patrick; Esser, Frank; Halagiera, Denis; Hopmann, David; Koç-Michalska, Karolina; Matthes, Jörg; Meltzer, Christine; Splendore, Sergio; Stanyer, James; Stępińska, Agnieszka; Štětka, Václav ... & Zoizner, Alon
  
• Mistakenly misinformed or intentionally deceived? Mis‐ and Disinformation perceptions on the Russian War in Ukraine among citizens in 19 countries. European Journal of Political Research, 63(4), 1642-1654.
  Hameleers, Michael; Tulin, Marina; De Vreese, Claes; Aalberg, Toril; Van Aelst, Peter; Cardenal, Ana Sofia; Corbu, Nicoleta; Van Erkel, Patrick; Esser, Frank; Gehle, Luisa; Halagiera, Denis; Hopmann, David; Koc‐Michalska, Karolina; Matthes, Jörg; Meltzer, Christine; Mihelj, Sabina; Schemer, Christian; Sheafer, Tamir; Splendore, Sergio ... & Zoizner, Alon
  
• Perceptions on reasons and consequences of selective news exposure across Europe. NORFACE GOVERNANCE Final Conference 2024 (Vienna, Austria, February 15th, 2024)
  Stępińska, Agnieszka; Halagiera, Denis & Corbu, Nicoleta
  
• Social media and affective polarization: does Facebook news use fuel political in- and out-group affect in a multi-party context?. Acta Politica, 60(2), 286-306.
  van Erkel, Patrick F. A. & Van Aelst, Peter
  
• The more you read the more you know? The relationship between news use behavior and knowledge and misperceptions in 18 democracies. NORFACE GOVERNANCE Final Conference 2024 (Vienna, Austria, February 15th, 2024)
  Luisa Gehle, Peter van Aelst, Jesper Strömbäck, Christian Schemer & Alon Zoizner
  
• The Role of Consent Form Design Under GDPR: A Survey Experiment. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 36(1).
  van Erkel, Patrick Folkert Anton; Hopmann, David Nicolas; Skovsgaard, Morten & Terren, Ludovic
  
• When are Fact-Checks Effective? An Experimental Study on the Inclusion of the Misinformation Source and the Source of Fact-Checks in 16 European Countries. Mass Communication and Society, 27(5), 851-876.
  van Erkel, Patrick F. A.; van Aelst, Peter; de Vreese, Claes H.; Hopmann, David N.; Matthes, Jörg; Stanyer, James & Corbu, Nicoleta
  
• Who engages with untrustworthy sources and at what cost? Findings from a 5 country webtracking survey. Format: Panel discussion at the European Digital and Media Literacy Conference (Brussels, Belgium, February 28th, 2024)
  Cardenal, Ana Sofia