Romania – New Trends in Civic Participation DIGITAL MEDIA and the EFFECTS of MEDIA LITERACY

Romania – new trends in civic participation DIGITAL MEDIA AND THE EFFECTS OF MEDIA LITERACY

Report by Dan Sultanescu (Research Director of CPD SNSPA) Vlad Achimescu (PhD candidate, University of Mannheim) Dana Sultanescu (PhD candidate, CPD SNSPA) Romania 2012-2019: the participative model

What types of participation exist in Romania? SOURCES OF DATA 2012 (November 2011 - April 2012). 8 national samples of 1200 subjects, for every region in România = a unified database of 8.031 subjects. CATI survey. Margin of error +/-1% 2016 (July 2016) - 1 national sample of 766 subjects. CATI survey. Margin of error +/-3,5% 2019 (July 2019) – 1 national sample of 1000 subjects. CATI survey. Margin of error +/- 3% Analysis – over 50 variables included, to create 4 indexes of participation Indexes of participation (scale 1-100). Data from the last 7 years

Only Electoral participation is above 50, on this scale

Political participation is growing

Civic participation is decreasing! The impact of media on participation

Internet activism: contributes to the Internet use does not increase voter increase of civic participation turnout! Only TV consumption does... Notice the very low level of civic participation (on a scale from 1 to 100) Civic participation A new measurement – using Latent Class Analysis to segment Romanian voters, based on 15 questions about participation Data from 2019 (July 2019) – 1 national sample of 1000 subjects. CATI survey. Margin of error +/- 3% Participation in Romania

Types of participators, Romania 2019 80.0% 75.5% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 16.1% 10.0% 6.7% 1.7% 0.0% Strong Ocasional Just protests Voters, no other participation participation participation

Source: Survey data from July 2019, N = 1000 respondents Education & income – factors influencing participation

% participators, influenced by education 100% % participators, influenced by income perception

90% 100% 90% 80% 80% 70% 70% 60% 60% 50% 50% 40% 40% 30% 30% 20% 20% 10%

10% 0% Don't have Just enough to Enough just for a We manage to We can buy 0% enough get by decent living have a good anything we Lower education Medium education Higher education resources living need all the time

Strong participation Ocasional participation Strong participation Ocasional participation Just protests Voters, no other participation Just protests Voters, no other participation

Source: Survey data from July 2019, N = 1000 respondents Media use What is the connection between media use patterns and participation? Types of media use

Media use - news

70% 64% 60%

50%

40% 34% 36% 30% 22% 20% 17% 10% 10% 5% 0% TV news - daily Radio news - Desktop news - Mobile news - Printed Read Write use daily use daily use daily use newspapers - comments comments daily use online - daily online - daily

Source: Survey data from 2019, N = max. 8306 respondents; certain questions only applied to likely voters Daily use – read comments

Do you read comments at the end of Internet articles? 50% 47% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 20% 17% 15% 9% 10% 7% 5% % 0% Daily A few times a A few times a Once a month or Not at all DKDA week month less

Source: Survey data from 2019, N = max. 8306 respondents; certain questions only applied to likely voters Daily use – write comments

Write comments at the end of Internet articles

80% 73% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 9% 8% 10% 5% 4% % 0% Daily A few times a A few times a Once a month Not at all DKDA week month or less

Source: Survey data from 2019, N = max. 8306 respondents; certain questions only applied to likely voters Differences – public segments

Activity online 100%

90% 24% 25% 32% 80%

70% 16% 24% 60% 20% 50% 26% 40% 25% 30% 30% 20% 34% 10% 23% 21% 0% Likely voters Daily reads comments Daily writes comments Pensioners Workers Inactive youth Higher education

Source: Survey data from June-Aug 2019, N = 5416 respondents Differences – education

Levels of education 100% 17% 90% 19% 24% 80% 70% 60% 50% 70% 75% 40% 69% 30% 20% 10% 12% 8% 0% 6% Likely voters Daily reads comments Daily writes comments Primary Secondary Tertiary

Source: Survey data from June-Aug 2019, N = 5416 respondents Differences – age

Age 100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0% 18-29 30-44 45-59 Over 60 years Likely voters Daily reads comments Daily writes comments

Source: Survey data from June-Aug 2019, N = 5416 respondents LCA – 4 types of media use

Source: Survey data from June-Aug 2019, N = 5416 respondents Types of media use - details

Source: Survey data from June-Aug 2019, N = 5416 respondents 4 types of media use

Source: Survey data from June-Aug 2019, N = 5416 respondents Case study– West vs East and the relation between media use and TRUST

Source: Survey data from July 2019, N = 1000 respondents Media use & trust. NATO & Russia The group that trusts NATO is highly dependent on “TV Complex media behavior for people who trust Russia only” sources for information 50% purposes (more so than any

45% other groups and similar to 39% 40% the US-trusting group) and is less inclined to use online 35% 34% sources. 30% 27% 26% 25% 24% 25% The Russia-trusting public 20% displays a diverse pattern of 15% 13% 11% media consumption: they 10% combine TV and online

5% sources to get their news

0% and are the least likely, by No classic sources Just TV TV & Online Just Online far, to rely on TV news only. Romania Russia - high USA - high EU - high NATO - high Germany - high

Source: Survey data from July 2019, N = 1000 respondents Media use & trust. NATO & Russia

The group that relies on online media for information displays much lower levels of trust in NATO compared to the groups that get information from TV or from mixed sources. People who don’t use TV or online sources are most likely to not trust NATO and also to trust Russia.

NATO Russia

Trust NATO Don't trust NATO Trust Russia Don't trust Russia

100% 100%

90% 90% 28% 80% 30% 34% 80% 47% 70% 70% 60% 60% 83% 86% 85% 50% 90% 50% 40% 40% 72% 30% 30% 70% 66% 53% 20% 20% 10% 17% 14% 15% 10% 0% 10% 0% No TV or Just TV TV and Online Just Online No TV or Online Just TV TV and Online Just Online Online Source: Survey data from July 2019, N = 1000 respondents Media use & trust. NATO & Russia

Source: Survey data from June-Aug 2019, N = 5416 respondents Media use – pro-Russians use online more than other groups

Online for news - people that trusts countries People who trust Russia use 100% online devices (desktop or 90% mobile) for news purposes 80% more compared to other

70% groups.

60% The difference is statistically 50% 44% significant!

40% 33% 33% 34% 35% 29% 30% 19% 22% 21% 21% 20%

10%

0% Romania Russia - high USA - high EU - high NATO - high Every day - news on desktop Every day - news on mobile

Source: Survey data from July 2019, N = 1000 respondents Pro-Russians are much more active online

Online activity 18% People who trust Russia are 16% 16% much more active online –

14% 13% they post more comments than others. 12% 11% 12% 12%

10% The difference is statistically 8% 8% significant!

4% 3% 2% 2% 2% 2%

0% Romania Russia - high USA - high EU - high NATO - high Daily - read comments after online articles Daily - write comments after online articles

Source: Survey data from July 2019, N = 1000 respondents Pro-Russians are much more active online

Have you visited political/candidate websites in the last year? 30% People who trust Russia 24% declare they have been more 25% exposed to political communication in the recent 20% past. 16% 16% 16% 15% 14% 15% The difference is statistically significant!

10%

0% Romania Russia - high USA - high EU - high NATO - high Germany - high

Source: Survey data from July 2019, N = 1000 respondents Pro-Russians use TV as news source more than other groups

TV use for news - higher numbers for people who trust Russia 70% 66% 63%63% 62% 62% 60% 60%

50%

Romania 40% 37% Russia - high 37% 36% 35% 33% 34% USA - high 32% 32% 32% 31% 30% 31%30% 29% 30% 29% EU - high 30% 28% 28% 28% 27%27% 27% 27% 24% 24% NATO - high 23% 22% 22% Germany - high 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%20% 20% 18% 17% 17% 17% 16% 17% 17% 14%

10%

0% Antena 3 Romania TV Realitatea TV B1TV Digi24 Pro TV TVR Kanal D

Source: Survey data from July 2019, N = 1000 respondents Pro-Russians are much more civically involved

Civic participation People who trust Russia are involvement/reactions protests much more active in protests 60% (13%, more than other categories of public) and in 50% online and civic involvement 13% and reactions (higher 40% 10% 11% 9% 9% numbers than the other

30% people, who trust other countries).

20% 36% 31% 33% 33% 33%

10%

0% Trust Russia Trust USA Trust EU Trust NATO Trust Germany

Source: Survey data from July 2019, N = 1000 respondents WHY DOES PARTICIPATION MATTER? How it works What can participation bring?

• RESILIENCE to the populist threat (increase the public’s responsiveness/rejection to the antidemocratic/isolationist messages and leaders) • COUNTERMEASURES in case of crisis • EXERCISE PRESSURE on authorities to protect democratic principles and rule of law • STRENGTHEN INSTITUTIONS • INCREASE INVOLVEMENT IN POLITICS OF CIVIC-MINDED PEOPLE • INCREASE INTEREST IN POLITICS & POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE Thank you!

Report by Dan Sultanescu (Research Director of CPD SNSPA) Vlad Achimescu (PhD candidate, University of Mannheim) Dana Sultanescu (PhD candidate, CPD SNSPA)