Axis 2 –The practice of democratic citizenship
While the first research axis focuses on the development of very general values, attitudes, and skills linked to democratic culture, this second axis centres on concrete aspects of the practice of citizenship: the production and consumption of news, the formation of opinions on political issues and actors (including partisan preferences and voting intentions), and political participation in all its forms. Research within this axis examines crucial questions concerning a rapidly changing media ecosystem, partisan disalignment and the polarisation of opinions, and inequalities in civic participation.
Responsible researcher:
Mireille Lalancette
Researchers involved:
Leo Baccini, Frédéric Bastien, Laurie Beaudonnet, Éric Bélanger, Elissa Berwick, André Blais, Marc André Bodet, Joanie Bouchard, Colette Brin, Simon Coulombe, Shannon Dinan, Yannick Dufresne, Claire Durand, Dominic Duval, Benjamin Forest, Patrick Fournier, François Gélineau, Thierry Giasson, Jean-François Godbout, Olivier Jacques, Erick Lachapelle, Normand Landry, Valérie-Anne Mahéo-Le-Luel, Fenwick McKelvey, Richard Nadeau, Catherine Ouellet, Reihaneh Rabbany, Eran Shor, Dietlind Stolle
THEMES
THEME 2.1 : Information consumption and production
The aim here is to map the media ecosystem, focusing on regional inequalities, the degree of media polarisation and media coverage of candidates, for example. This theme also provides an opportunity to examine news consumption, as well as the rise of “influencers” and content moderation in digital spaces.
THEME 2.2: Opinion formation
This research theme focuses on describing and explaining political attitudes and behaviour. For example, our researchers are investigating the decline in party loyalty and the phenomena of polarisation. The formation of opinions on specific issues and their subsequent effects on political behaviours are also central to this theme.
THEME 2.3: Civic participation
As well as being a theme that features in several projects under other themes, it is the main focus of other research, such as studies on the factors influencing early voting, citizen participation within constituency associations, and the predictors of participation among people from marginalised groups. Research is also underway into the creation of memes – modified images that constitute a digital form of participation.