POLPODESE

The Effects of Coverage of Political Polarization on German and Swedish News on Domestic Audiences 

Prof. Dr. Michael Brüggemann and Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten

Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, Journalism and Communication

Co-applicant university: Lund University

Term: 2023-2025

The use of the term ‘polarization’ has skyrocketed in the Swedish and German print media over the past decade. At first glance, this would imply that the German and Swedish societies have become more polarized. However, instead of reflecting a polarized society, media's use of the term may generate the perception that society is polarized, creating a reinforcing spiral of polarization. Misperceptions of polarization can thus damage social trust and cohesion. POLPODESE will compare the effects of polarization coverage by German and Swedish media on audiences’ perception of respective domestic politics using automated content analysis and behavioural experiments.