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To the point A new replication study reviews and confirms previous research findings on the influence of digital media on democracy. Digital media such as social media, messenger groups or comment columns in online media have a predominantly negative influenc e on political processes. They can encourage populist movements, increase polarization and undermine trust in institutions.

Systematic meta-analysis on online misinformation with data from over 11,500 participants in 31 experiments  Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development have identified who is most susceptible to online misinformation and why. Their meta-analysis reveals surprising patterns on how demographic and psychological factors-including age, education, political identity, analytical thinking, and motivated reflection-affect people-s ability to assess the accuracy of information.

A comprehensive study conducted by the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, now found that while there is a connection between political orientation and prosociality, it is weaker than previously assumed. It is often assumed that people who hold left-wing political beliefs have stronger prosocial traits and are more altruistic than those who support right-wing parties.

In western Germany, approval of xenophobic statements has increased significantly, bringing it closer to attitudes in the east. In the eastern German states, satisfaction with democracy as it is practised in Germany is at its lowest level since 2006. These are the key findings of the Leipzig Authoritarianism Study 2024, which was presented today (13 November) at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin under the title "United in Resentment" by Oliver Decker and Elmar Brähler from the Competence Center for Right-Wing Extremism and Democracy Research at Leipzig University.

The state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg have caused political upheaval due to the AfD's results. Exploratory talks on the future formation of a government are still ongoing. An interdisciplinary study as part of the Volkswagen Foundation's NurtureDEMOS project at the University of Trier and the Centre for Research on Right-Wing Extremism, Democracy Education and Social Integration (KomRex) at the University of Jena has recorded and analyzed attitudes and voting behaviour in the states in the run-up to the state elections.

Migration can have different causes such as military conflicts or poverty. However, there is hardly any research to date on whether international sanctions influence the decision to leave one's homeland or not. Researchers at the University of Hamburg and Trier University have now published the first statistical analysis on sanction-driven emigration in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.

Research exposes the long-lasting effects of losing a family member in war-torn regions Each year, hundreds of thousands of people are affected by armed conflict, both directly, through loss of life, or indirectly, through the loss of family members. Researchers studied the extent and duration of bereavement among those who lost immediate family members in high-intensity conflicts.

War-related disinformation most effective among conspiracy-minded people Most people do not believe the disinformation spread by Russia about the war in Ukraine, even if they regularly use social media. Instead, the decisive factor in the efficacy of this propaganda is whether a person is fundamentally receptive to conspiracy narratives.

Task force aims to ensure trust in research Artificial intelligence (AI) generates texts, videos and images that can hardly be distinguished from those of humans - with the result that we often no longer know what is real. Also researchers are increasingly being supported by AI. An international task force has now developed principles for the use of AI in research to ensure trust in science.

The climate crisis, farmers' protests, the rise of right-wing parties, ongoing disputes in government, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East: the crisis is becoming a permanent feature of politics and society. In view of the enormous challenges, does a socio-ecological transformation even stand a chance? The BMBF junior research group "Mentalities in flux" (flumen) at Friedrich Schiller University Jena investigated this question.

What factors determine which countries people migrate to? Tim Müller from the Berlin Institute for Empirical Integration and Migration Research (BIM) has analysed this in a study of 160 countries. According to the study, important pull factors for migration are not so much social benefits, but rather good job opportunities, democratic conditions and the national language.

There is very little difference between people living in eastern and western Germany or those in rural and urban areas when they assess their quality of life. This surprising result is one of the key findings of the Germany Monitor 2023 , a newly developed annual scientific study that provides a new perspective on the social and political attitudes and assessments of the German population.

For many people, science has become a question of faith - the acceptance of research results increasingly depends on whether they fit in with their own world view. This poses new challenges for science communication. Simply preparing content in an appealing and accessible way for the public in order to close gaps in knowledge and present new innovations is no longer enough.

A clear majority of East Germans can identify with democracy as an idea, but less than half are satisfied with their everyday experience of democracy. This was the result of a representative survey of 3,546 people from the eastern German states conducted by the Else-Frenkel-Brunswik Institute of the University of Leipzig, the results of which were presented today (June 28) at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin by the study's directors Oliver Decker and Elmar Brähler.

Researchers used Linkedin data to track where professionals want to move within the EU For professionals looking for a new job, Eastern European countries have not been very attractive so far. That's the finding of a study by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, together with a Dutch colleague.

Anti-corruption can start with education about stereotypes, an international study shows For transnational bribery, the decision to offer bribes strongly depends on the national background of one's partner. One's own nationality, on the other hand, plays only a secondary role. This is shown by a large-scale experiment conducted by researchers from the University of Cologne, the University of Amsterdam and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin.

Study reveals how people resolve dilemmas in online content moderation Online content moderation is a moral minefield, especially when freedom of expression clashes with preventing harm caused by misinformation. A study by a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, University of Exeter, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and University of Bristol examined how the public would deal with such moral dilemmas.

Study on the 2016 US presidential election Russian Twitter campaigns during the 2016 US presidential race primarily reached a small subset of users, most of whom were highly partisan Republicans, shows a new study. In addition, the international research team found that despite Russia's influence operations on the platform, there were no measurable changes in attitudes or voting behavior among those exposed to this foreign influence campaign.

New systematic review in Nature Human Behaviour summarizes studies conducted worldwide   One of the most contentious questions of our time is whether the rapid global uptake of digital media is contributing to a decline in democracy. While discussions on the risks of social media have recently received a great deal of media coverage, tech companies argue that findings are not conclusive.

If infection numbers drop significantly over the course of a pandemic in response to policy measures, this lowers people's sense of fear and panic-related behaviour more strongly than the infection rates and the measures themselves.