HPS³ - Anja Neundorf - (When) Does Online Civic Education Work: Evidence from a Cross-National ExperimentWe welcome Anja Neundorf on Thursday, 25 January 2024 to the HPS Seminar Series

25 January 2024

The Hamburg Political Science Seminar Series (HPS³) features international speakers presenting cutting-edge research in empirical political science and political economy.

We welcome on Thursday, 25 January 2024 17:15-18:45 CET in VMP9 B528 & via Zoom

Anja Neundorf (University of Glasgow)

Title: (When) Does Online Civic Education Work: Evidence from a Cross-National Experiment (co-authored with Steven Finkel, Aykut Öztürk, Ericka Rascón Ramírez)

Abstract: 

Civic education is an important effort in strengthening the resilience of existing and new democracies. However, little is known about 1) whether these programs can be conducted online (instead of traditionally in-person), 2) what is the best frame to promote democracy, and 3) whether there are contextual differences in the impact of these interventions. Our project aims to answer these questions through online experiments, which were conducted in 34 countries, representing varying levels of democratic and economic development. Around 34,000 respondents were recruited via social media and were randomly shown one of three treatment videos, promoting different aspects of democracy (civic rights, separation of power, provision of economic and public goods) or a placebo treatment. Our results show that the treatments positively affected support for democracy and that the effect can still be detected after two weeks. However, contrary to expectations, the political and economic context of respondents does not condition the impact of our interventions. Our study is the most comprehensive study ever conducted in the field of civic education, allowing us to explore how democracy promotion works in different countries. 

The HPS³ seminars take place  in person at the UHH and are live-streamed on Zoom.

 Please find the preliminary program on the HPS³ Website.

We invite everyone interested to attend the HPS Seminar Series and are looking forward to seeing you.