Citation:
Abstract:
My thesis investigates the extent to which the political misinformation consumption lowered democratic confidence and engagement prior to the 2022 Italian general election. In my thesis, I use the term democratic confidence to encapsulate several attitudinal measures, such as political cynicism, political trust, and internal and external political efficacy. A second term, democratic engagement, describes political behaviors like mobilization for activism and voter turnout.
My preliminary results suggest that political misinformation has decreased democratic confidence within the Italian electorate. In-person interviews revealed that political misinformation is pervasive in Italy, spreading not only on social media, but also via mainstream sources like television. As a result, voters have reported high political cynicism and low levels of political trust, internal and external political efficacy. A content analysis of YouTube comments and an online survey (in progress) will provide more conclusive data regarding these findings, as well as stronger data on democratic engagement.