How do Healthy Political Discussions Invigorate Online Participation? Evidence from 17 European Countries
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Social media provide unprecedented opportunities for public deliberation. However, a growing number of users perceive negativity in political debate taking place in those venues and are increasingly frustrated when discussing politics with those they disagree with. In this article, we test the proposition that perceiving online discussions as healthier (i.e. more polite and civil) than offline discussions invigorates online political participation. We rely on an online survey fielded in 17 European countries on more than 28,000 individuals. Our findings indicate that being embedded in healthier discussions on social media is more of an important predictor of online participation for those respondents reporting higher political discussion fatigue and less so for those perceiving online discussions as fun. Overall, our study offers cross-national evidence of why and for whom exposure to healthy political discussions online might be mobilizing.
Source: Social Media + Society
Authors: Laia Castro, Yannis Theocharis, Agnieszka Stępińska, David Nicolas Hopmann, Christian Schemer, Toril Aalberg, Ana Sofia Cardenal, Nicoleta Corbu, Claes de Vreese, Frank Esser, Karolina Koc-Michalska, Jörg Matthes, Tamir Sheafer, Sergio Splendore, James Stanyer, Jesper Strömbäck, Václav Štětka, Peter Van Aelst, Alon Zoizner
Institutions: Universitat de Barcelona, Technical University of Munich, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, University of Southern Denmark, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, National School of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Amsterdam, University of Zurich, Audencia Business School, University of Silesia in Katowice, University of Vienna, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, University of Milan, Loughborough University, University of Gothenburg, University of Antwerp, University of Haifa
Language: English
Topic: Social Media and Politics
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,000
OpenAlex ID: W7092358850