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Researchers at KU Leuven (belonging to the imec-DistriNet research group) and New York University (Cybersecurity for Democracy) have demonstrated that on a global scale, Facebook misjudges up to 83 percent of ads that they or the researchers deemed political. In some cases, Facebook does not recognise them as political ads, while they often wrongfully label non-political ads as political.

In the past everyone used to read the same news (one size fits all), but now we get our own made-to-measure news portions. News is selected based on our taste and online behaviour. Does it matter that we no longer see and read the same things? 'The divide between citizens who choose political news and citizens who choose entertainment seems to be growing in the digital society,' says communication scientist Susan Vermeer, who studied our news consumption.

Whether a hydroelectric power plant is built, a pesticide is banned or a moor is placed under protection - a wide variety of political decisions have an impact on biodiversity. But does biodiversity play any role at all in such decisions? Researchers at Eawag and WSL have investigated this question and examined Swiss policy over the past 20 years.

Politics around the world has in recent decades entered an era of political polarization, in which politics appears like a struggle between warring tribes. An interdisciplinary team of sociologists and physicists developed a computational model to analyse this rise in political temperature. They used their model to examine the potential link between social media and polarization and suggest the existence of polarization tipping-points, which can lead to run-away polarization.

ETH Zurich and UNIGE establish an interdisciplinary unit dedicated to science in diplomacy in the heart of international Geneva. This joint lab will bring scientific insights and methods into diplomatic, international conflict resolution and help address the global challenges our societies are facing.

UC San Diego Yankelovich Center Survey analysis also shows that the 2021 gubernatorial recall election was unrepresentative of the state's electorate Pundits around the nation have been calling for overhaul of the century-old rules that govern California's recall elections, since even before the petition to remove Gov.

The size of one's own group motivates protestors more than the number of counter-demonstrators / interdisciplinary study of the Cluster of Excellence ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy at the Universities of Bonn and Cologne The expected number of participants at a rally is decisive for people's willingness to participate in left-wing or right-wing political protest.

A new academic study finds that an over-representation of MPs with social sciences backgrounds limits debate on STEM topics. Last updated on Wednesday 1 September 2021 Political parties need to put more effort into recruiting candidates with scientific backgrounds in order to increase 'cognitive diversity' among MPs, say the authors of a new academic study.

"Geography of disillusion" poses a major challenge for democratic countries across the continent, according to researchers. As disenchantment rises in European hinterlands, democratic politics risks being eroded from within Davide Luca A new study reveals the extent of the political divide opening up between city and countryside right across Europe, with research suggesting that political polarisation in the 21st century may have a lot to do with place and location.

In NORC surveys, millions of Americans indicate that they hold insurrectionist sentiments In early April 2021, Prof. Robert Pape of the University of Chicago released an analysis of 377 Americans arrested or charged in the Jan. Capitol insurrection. Looking to take the temperature of the nation at large, Pape and his team have followed up with a new survey of American adults to gauge their political sentiments related to an insurrection.

Australia is one of only three countries in the world to 'break the glass ceiling' and exceed 30 per cent of women on top-listed company boards without legislated quotas, according to University of Queensland research. UQ Business School researchers Dr Terry Fitzsimmons , Dr Miriam Yates and Professor Victor Callan identified the factors that saw Australia leap from 8.3 per cent women on ASX200 boards in 2008 to 33.6 per cent in 2021.

The EU funded project DAFNE has developed a methodology for avoiding conflicts of use in transboundary rivers. The model-based procedure allows for participatory planning and cooperative management of water resources. The aim is now for the DAFNE methodology to be implemented in other regions of the world.

Contrary to popular story, the number of residents planning to leave California remains unchanged In the fall of 2020, as Elon Musk threatened to take Tesla to Texas, a popular narrative took hold and continues to this day: According to the story, the Golden State has grown tarnished. Masses of Californians are fed up and fleeing the state.

Scientists from the Science, Communication and Society Study Centre at UPF gain insight into how citizen participation in science is practised in Spain and propose a series of recommendations for its improvement. Researchers from UPF have analysed the way citizen science is practised in Spain. The paper, produced by Carolina Llorente and Gema Revuelta , from UPF's Science, Communication and Society Studies Centre ( CCS-UPF ) and Mar Carrió , from the University's Health Sciences Educational Research Group ( GRECS ), has been published in the Journal of Science Communication (JCOM).

Those with privilege are less aware of constraints others face and are more likely to punish subordinates, according to new UC San Diego research Those with power, such as the wealthy are more likely to blame others for having shortcomings and they are also less troubled by reports of inequality, according to recent research from the University of California San Diego's Rady School of Management.

The case of EU Pesticides Regulation Through its Green Deal the EU seeks a transition towards sustainable agriculture. This includes measures to reduce the risk and use of pesticides by 50% by 2030. Public support for these measures is crucial, but has been damaged in the last decade. In a unique experiment in six European countries, researchers tested how decision-making procedures could be reformed to rebuild public support.

A study involving Toni Rodon, a professor with the UPF Department of Political and Social Sciences, argues that emotive rhetoric is one of the tools that politicians use strategically to attract voters. Published in American Political Science Review , the article analyses two million parliamentary speeches delivered in the lower houses of parliament in the UK (between 2001 and 2019) and Ireland (between 2002 and 2013).

Conservative and liberal viewers on YouTube engage in crosstalk-although it's mostly one-sided-with conservatives commenting on left-leaning videos twice as much as liberals remarking on right-leaning videos, according to a large-scale study from the University of Michigan School of Information. Left-leaning channels had a quarter of their comments from conservative users and more than 1 in 10 comments on right-leaning channels were from liberal users, dispelling the notion of echo chambers where people of like mind and politics see only information that meshes with their existing beliefs.

News images of immigrants have an effect on some Americans' attitudes towards immigration, a new University of Michigan study shows. Photos of large groups of immigrants, such as the migrant caravan, may decrease support for immigration. Images of individuals, however, produce the opposite effect. In line with work on "person positivity,” personalized images tend to increase support for immigration, particularly among Americans who are threat-sensitive.

It is no secret that Chinese President Xi Jinping harbours high international ambitions. What was not yet known, however, is the role the Chinese Communist Party plays in this, specifically its International Department. Political scientist Julia Bader analysed the activities of the department. She discovered a fast-growing international network, including in the West, and a more offensive approach towards promoting China's political policies.