CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Bath, Tristan |
|---|---|
| Title | Trapped in a Downward Spiral?: The Changing Role of Opinion Polling Data in the Policy Processes of Digital Democracies |
| Summary | In light of recent changes to the political and media landscapes, the need to explore how policy practices within democracies can be evolved to catch up with and meet the needs of voters, and to understand how the limitations of democratic proxies can lead or mislead policy-making, has become more urgent. A key part of this ecosystem is the industry of opinion polling. This thesis formulates a deeper understanding of how changes in opinion polling practices reinforce and/or contradict democratic principles. It explores how policy-makers can better understand the evolving usage of public opinion polling online, with a view to improving modern democratic systems. This thesis opens with a discussion of how scholars characterize the relationships between opinion polling, policy-making, and social media, and goes on to make new discoveries based upon qualitative structured interviews with experts from two European democracies – the UK and Austria. This thesis aims to be of relevance to any actors operating within modern democracies, as it sheds light on post-digital structures and behaviours emerging worldwide. |
| Supervisor | Hübscher, Evelyne |
| Department | Public Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/bath_tristan.pdf |
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