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Dimensions of Electronic Political Engagement in Russia Today

Apr 06, 2018

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    Theodore P. GerberUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

    Juan March Institute, Madrid

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    ` Use of internet and mobile phone technology

    (SMS, Twitter) to obtain and/or disseminate

    politically relevant information, exchange political

    views, and/or coordinate political actions.` Distinct from internet orsocial media use assuch

    ` Recent phenomenon

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    ` New media as alternative sources of politicallyrelevant information to traditional news media

    x Internet-based newssites

    x Twitter

    x Blogsx Advocacy web sites

    x Youtube

    x Informational web sites, including government-based

    Particularly relevant in constrained traditional news

    source environments Information dissemination vs. consumption

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    ` New media as technologies for coordinating

    political action Big examples:social media and protest movements

    x Iranian election prote

    sts,summer 2009

    x Arab Spring movements of 2011

    x Russias free elections movement in 2011/12?

    Other examples: political flash mobs, internet-based

    petitions, boycotts, hotlines, etc.

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    ` Other uses? Election booth webcams

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    ` Can the distinctive dimensions of electronic

    political engagement be empirically disentangled?

    ` What types of people do and do not engage in thedistinctive dimensions?

    ` How (if at all) are they associated with specific

    political orientations and behaviors?

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    ` Standard methodologies forstudying social media

    and politics are not suitable for addressing these

    questions

    Content analysis of the blogosphere or othersocialmedia fields in a specific national context

    Social network analysis of users

    `

    Role forsurvey re

    search

    Challenge: collecting sufficiently detailed data on social

    media usage for political purposes

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    ` Partially constrained traditional news environment No government constraints on new media orsocial network sites

    ` Surging rates of overall internet and social network use in recent years 50.8 million users in September 2011

    Approaching 50% internet penetration

    Over5 million facebook users

    Growing popularity of domestic social networking sites

    ` Active and diverse blogosphere, with four major groupings at its core (Etling etal. 2010) Politics and PublicAffairs

    x Diverse spectrum of views expressed

    x Distinctively high level of cross-linking debate

    Culture Regional

    Instrumental (paid/commercially oriented blogs)` Culturally distinct blogging styles (Gornyi and Walker 2011)

    ` Information about instances of official corruption

    ` Rise ofAleksei Navalnyi

    ` Role of new social media in free election protests

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    ` Can the distinctive dimensions of electronic

    political engagement within Rusia be empirically

    disentangled?

    ` What types of Russians do and do not engage in

    the distinctive dimensions?

    ` How (if at all) are they associated with specificpolitical orientations and behaviors in Russia?

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    ` Sponsored by Democracy International implementinga grant from USAID

    ` Implemented by Levada Center` Two waves of data collection

    November 17-30, 2011

    December 9-22

    ` Multi-stage clustersampling, with matched sampleallocation by SSU pre- and post-election

    ` Total N=2403 in 46 federal subjects` E

    xtensive que

    stion

    sabout internet and

    social mediause for political purposes, political attitudes and

    behaviors, and socio-economic background

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    ` 26 questions in fourseparate blocs

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    34%

    19%

    4%

    2%

    12%

    12%

    14%

    21%

    14%

    4%

    4%

    10%

    12%

    13%

    8%

    6%

    4%

    3%

    6%

    7%

    6%

    6%

    4%

    4%

    4%

    4%

    6%

    5%

    31%

    57%

    84%

    87%

    68%

    63%

    63%

    0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

    SMS on a mobile phone

    E-mail

    Facebook

    Zhivoi Journal

    V Kontakte

    Odnoklassniki

    Other websites (not email)

    How often do you use the following forms of communication and

    information?

    Almost daily Weekly Monthly Less than once a month Never

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    72%

    27%

    12%

    9%

    4%

    4%

    16%

    22%

    26%

    10%

    6%

    6%

    5%

    9%

    26%

    7%

    3%

    6%

    2%

    6%

    11%

    5%

    4%

    4%

    2%

    4%

    5%

    4%

    4%

    4%

    3%

    32%

    21%

    66%

    80%

    76%

    0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

    Television

    Radio

    Newpapers

    Russian news websites

    Foreign news websites

    Blogs on the internet

    How often in the last 12 months have you used the following sources to get

    information about current political events?

    Daily Several times per week Weekly Monthly Less than once a month Never

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    5%

    7%

    5%

    1%

    2%

    1%

    10%

    10%

    8%

    3%

    5%

    4%

    6%

    7%

    7%

    4%

    5%

    4%

    4%

    5%

    5%

    2%

    6%

    3%

    5%

    4%

    3%

    2%

    5%

    3%

    70%

    68%

    72%

    87%

    76%

    85%

    0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

    Got info about political

    events in your city/town

    Got info about political

    events elsewhere in Russia

    Got info about politicalevents in other countries

    Looked for people who

    share your political views

    Looked for new friends

    Exchanged views on

    political topics with other

    people

    How often have you used the internet for the following in the last 12

    months?

    Daily Several times per week Weekly Monthly Less than once a month Never

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    1%

    2%

    1%

    1%

    3%

    0%

    1%

    2%

    5%

    2%

    3%

    6%

    1%

    2%

    2%

    4%

    2%

    3%

    6%

    2%

    2%

    2%

    4%

    1%3%

    5%

    2%

    1%

    3%

    4%

    2%

    2%

    3%

    3%

    2%

    90%

    80%

    92%

    88%

    77%

    93%

    93%

    0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

    Posted about a political

    topic on a web site

    Read a blog about a

    political theme

    Participated in an on-line

    discussion/chat about

    Posted about a non-

    political topic on a web site

    Read a blog about a non-

    political theme

    Used the internet tocontact authorities

    Used SMS to contact

    authorities

    Have you done the following in the last 12 months? If so, how often?

    Daily Several times per week Weekly Monthly Less than once a month Never

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    Factor Analysis of Measures of Electronic Political Engagement, Duma Election survey

    Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4 Factor 5 Uniqueness

    Use: SMS on a mobile phone -.059 -.058 .809 -.035 .131 .445

    Use: E-mail .285 -.114 .661 .102 -.017 .264

    Use: Facebook -.001 .091 .191 .687 .033 .333

    Use: Zhivoi Journal -.045 .178 .071 .757 .040 .286

    Use: V Kontakte .024 -.018 .718 .189 -.062 .321Use: Odnoklassniki -.046 .036 .828 .051 -.014 .298

    Use: Other websites (not email) .219 -.063 .599 .167 -.093 .337

    For news: Television .022 -.059 .026 -.136 .710 .470

    For news: Radio -.082 .050 .100 .119 .740 .456

    For news: Newpapers .103 .017 -.148 .102 .726 .419

    For news: Russian news websites .788 -.144 .161 .115 .033 .230

    For news: Foreign news websites .607 .036 -.066 .365 .025 .318

    For news: Blogs on the internet .547 .016 .047 .389 .028 .294

    Net for: Get info about political events in your city/town .934 .015 .004 -.082 .019 .169

    Net for: Get info about political events elsewhere in Russia .980 -.040 .025 -.080 .002 .118

    Net for: Get info about political events in other countries .952 .019 .010 -.103 .008 .143

    Net for: Find people who share your political views .306 .657 .012 -.164 .043 .341

    Net for: find new friends .135 .410 .519 -.286 -.003 .409

    Net for: Exchange views on political topics with other people .357 .620 .049 -.179 .007 .319

    Frequency: P osted about a political topic on a web site .022 .824 -.054 .142 -.008 .228

    Frequency: Read a blog about a political theme .676 .215 -.111 .154 -.025 .297

    Frequency: Participated in an on-line discussion/chat about politics -.024 .856 -.039 .119 -.018 .227

    Frequency: Posted about a non-political topic on a web site .018 .670 .042 .210 -.059 .356

    Frequency: Read a blog about a non-political theme .565 .145 .098 .124 -.065 .387

    Frequency: Used the internet to contact authorities -.086 .905 -.017 .025 .029 .250

    Frequency: Used SMS to contact authorities -.156 .858 -.038 .113 .016 .334

    Additive Scale Label

    Political

    info

    Political

    commu-

    nication

    Social

    network

    Facebook

    /Live

    journal

    Traditio-

    nal news

    Scale mean .844 .279 1.077 .347 3.252

    Standard Deviation 1.309 .745 1.076 .851 1.206

    Range 0 to 5 0 to 5 0 to 4 0 to 4 0 to 5

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    Correlations among additive scales

    Webpolcom Tradnews Webnews Socnet Fablive

    Webpolcom 1.000

    Tradnews .087 1.000

    Webnews .641 .110 1.000

    Socnet .489 -.051 .701 1.000

    Fablive .512 .038 .566 .597 1.000

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    Regression results: measures of electronic political engagement

    B rse B rse B rse B rse B rse

    Age (40 to 49)Under 30 .142 ** .056 .501 ** .089 1.005 ** .060 .368 ** .060 -.454 ** .083

    30 to 39 .140 ** .061 .239 ** .091 .452 ** .062 .194 ** .059 -.195 ** .082

    50 to 59 -.161 ** .048 -.302 ** .085 -.335 ** .058 -.052 .054 .250 ** .082

    Over 59 -.184 ** .048 -.533 ** .076 -.689 ** .052 -.147 ** .046 .326 ** .080

    Education (se condary diploma)

    VUZ degree .165 ** .041 .518 ** .064 .339 ** .042 .147 ** .045 .173 ** .057

    Less than

    Secondary -.074 ** .031 -.259 ** .051 -.263 ** .039 -.154 ** .030 -.263 ** .068

    Locality (small/medium cities)

    Moscow .046 .061 .785 ** .126 .374 ** .069 .547 ** .094 .295 ** .091

    St.Pete . .265 ** .115 .364 ** .170 .273 ** .101 .250 ** .117 .167 .148

    Other large

    city-.118 ** .041 -.127 .084 -.073 .056 -.145 ** .048 -.045 .090

    Rural village -.035 .034 -.133 ** .052 -.107 ** .039 -.041 .036 .067 .058

    Woman -.011 .030 -.091 * .048 .070 ** .033 .001 .034 -.098 ** .048Post-election .082 ** .029 .220 ** .047 .080 ** .032 .129 ** .033 .046 .048

    Income quintile (second thru fourth)

    Lowest -.078 ** .034 -.180 ** .055 -.164 ** .045 -.081 ** .036 -.249 ** .079

    Highest .127 ** .058 .264 ** .100 .195 ** .059 .073 .071 .037 .080

    Missing .015 .043 .052 .068 .005 .046 .030 .048 .079 .065

    Ethnic Russian -.247 ** .057 -.196 ** .073 -.049 .050 -.129 ** .052 -.162 ** .065

    Constant .440 ** .072 .835 ** .106 .902 ** .071 .274 ** .069 3.407 ** .097

    R-square .468 .135 .080.242.092

    Facebook/Live

    Journal use

    Social media use

    scale

    Traditional news

    sources usage

    scale

    Web political

    information

    Web political

    communication

    scale

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    "Effects" of EPE dimensions on support for parties and institutions, based on multivariate models

    Results are net of effects of age, education, gender, locality, income, pre- vs. post-duma election, and Russian ethnicity

    Support for specific political parties and organizations

    United

    Russia KPRF LDPR Yabloko

    NationalBolshevik

    Party PARNAS

    Webpolcom - 0 0 0 0 0

    Webnews - 0 0 0 0 0

    Socnet + 0 + 0 0 +

    Fablive 0 0 0 0 0 0

    Tradnews 0 + 0 0 0 0

    Confidence in institutions and leaders

    Political

    parties Police

    Local

    gov't PMPutin

    Mass

    media

    Pres Med-

    vedev

    The

    Duma

    The

    Army

    The

    courts

    Webpolcom 0 0 - - 0 - 0 - 0

    Webnews 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0

    Socnet + 0 + + 0 0 + 0 0Fablive 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 + 0

    Tradnews + 0 + + 0 + + 0 +

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    "Effects" of EPE dimensions on attitudes toward diverse political issues

    Results are net of effects of age, education, gender, locality, income, pre- vs. post-duma election, and Russian ethnicity

    Protests are

    good for

    Russia

    Russia on the

    right course

    Soviet

    collapse great

    catas-trophe

    Pro-Stalin

    scale

    Agree with

    "Russia for

    Russians"

    Webpolcom + - 0 - 0

    Webnews 0 0 0 0 -

    Socnet 0 0 - 0 0

    Fablive 0 + + 0 0

    Tradnews 0 0 + + +

    Agree with

    "Stop feeding

    the Caucasus"

    Scale of

    suspicion of

    foreign

    influence

    US is enemy

    or rival

    Anti-eastern

    groups scale

    Anti-western

    groups scale

    Webpolcom 0 - 0 0 +

    Webnews - - + 0 0

    Socnet 0 0 0 0 0

    Fablive 0 0 0 0 0

    Tradnews 0 + 0 0 0

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    ` Five different dimensions ofEPE in Russia` Correlates of engagement are intuitive

    Steep negative (positive) age gradients for new (traditional)media engagement

    Consistent positive education effects for all five dimensions Russian ethnicity: lower web engagement Moscow: high on all dimensions except web political

    communication St.Pete: high on all except traditional news Post-Duma election: increase in new media usage Income: low income associated with low levels of all 5 forms;

    high income with high web use and social networking

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    ` Associations ofEPE with political views Social network site usage generally not associated with

    political views

    Traditional newssource usage linked to more

    conservative attitudes

    Web-based communication generally linked with more

    critical views, less nostalgia forUSSR

    x but only some associations are significant

    Web-based information seeking has weak andinconsistent associations with political attitudes

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    ` Studies of electronic political engagement can and

    should carefully specify and measure its different

    dimensions, both in Russia and elsewhere

    ` Need for fairly extensive data` To make causal claims, need richer understanding

    of correlates of different dimensions in order to

    identify causal effects with instrumental variables