Polarization and the Corona crisis

Media and journalism have played a central role in the public discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although conflicts are the “humus” of democracy, difficulties may arise when the basis for understanding is unclear or missing. The hardening of existing or newly emerging fronts in society is usually called polarization. However, to what extent is there a connection between media communication about COVID-19 and processes of social polarization? To explore this question, tipping points such as the vaccination debate, the behaviour of media users, and the role of disinformation will be examined.

A team of researchers at CMC will carry our three sub-studies with different methodological approaches:

1. a scoping review of previous research about media communication on the pandemic;
2. a secondary analysis of media usage data concerning the polarization of the public;
3. a qualitative interview study with media professionals to analyse the role of Austrian news media in the COVID-19 crisis.

Together the sub-studies will provide a multidimensional view of polarization dynamics during the pandemic and allow the derivation of recommendations for dialogue processes. The project is part of a larger research initiative coordinated by the Institute of Technology Assessment (ITA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. 

Duration: 04/2023 – 12/2023