How to Make the Case for Democracy

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Alexander Wuttke
• Subject Area: Political Science
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 557634970

Democracy is facing significant challenges as forces from within and from the outside work to erode public support for democratic governance. While much research has focused on the use of disinformation to undermine democratic trust, we lack evidence on the potential of pro-democratic communication to bolster the societal foundations of democracy. This project seeks to address this gap by investigating how to effectively advocate for democracy. Building on insights from psychology and persuasion research the project aims to develop a comprehensive theory of democratic persuasion, considering democratic support as a multi-faceted concept. It acknowledges that fissures in democratic support can take various forms, each requiring distinct approaches. Initially, the project will map the strengths and weaknesses of democratic support across different public segments. Based on these findings, theory-driven and actionable interventions will be developed to strengthen the attitudinal foundations of democracy, tailored to specific societal subgroups with unique fissures in democratic support. These interventions will be tested using three novel experimental paradigms designed to align with the theorized psychological pathways of persuasion. The first approach involves large-scale survey experiments conducted in controlled environments. This method provides large sample sizes that allow for the identification of heterogeneous effects of tailored treatments across different subgroups. However, text-based messages alone may not significantly influence deeply held beliefs. The second paradigm employs in-depth conversations using the street epistemology technique, a conversational style intended to encourage individuals to question their attitudes, even those strongly held. Lastly, the project will conduct laboratory group conversations using social influence as a pathway to bolster democratic support. Overall, this project aims to enhance scientific understanding of the strengths and fissures in democratic support among the public and to identify effective strategies for fostering democratic resilience at the citizen level.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Norway
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Carsten Reinemann
• Cooperation Partners: Professorin Dr. Sirianne Dahlum; Professor Dr. Andreas Kotsadam