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Co-ordinators: WG "Public Opinion, Mass Media and the Military"

Dr. rer. pol. Markus Steinbrecher, Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences (ZMSBw), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
lic. phil. MAS in Criminology (LL.M.) Thomas Ferst, Military Academy (MILAC) at the ETH Zurich, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

 

About

The WG "Public Opinion, Mass Media and the Military" focuses on civil-military relations, the interplay, and the interdependence of mass media, public opinion, and the military. Among the topics covered by the WG are public opinion on the military and its deployments, on security and foreign policy, and on all issues related to the armed forces. The WG also looks at all activities of the armed forces to inform and influence public opinion and the mass media. And the WG is interested in media content and impact analyses related to the military.

The cooperation in the field provides a new impetus to the development of research: cross-national comparison of research results, research projects commissioned by national and international institutions, and global networking. The process of collaboration gives an opportunity to scientists and experts in the field of media studies and public opinion surveys to create common theoretical concepts and methodological approaches, to nurture openness towards fresh and unconventional ideas, to practice greater objectivity of research through comparison and verification, and to establish common research standards.

 

News and Activities

WG-Workshop in Potsdam, October 18-20, 2023:

The WG “Public Opinion, Mass Media, and the Military” and the Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences will host a joint workshop titled "From the Cold War to the War in Ukraine. The impact of events and epochal turning points on public opinion on foreign and security policy". It will be held at the Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences (ZMSBw) in Potsdam from October 18 to October 20, 2023.

Theme of the workshop: Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2022 has forced a historic shift in the foreign and security policy of many countries, a Zeitenwende (epochal turning point) as it is now referred to in the German debate. Other events, e.g., the end of the Cold War, 9/11, or the Covid 19-pandemic had similar dramatic effects on policies. However, the (long-term) impact of such epochal turning points on public opinion has hardly been analyzed by researchers. One reason for this lack of findings might be that there is neither a theoretical concept nor an objective empirical measure for a Zeitenwende that can be applied to classify changes in public opinion on policies. Another reason might be a lack of comparable time series or panel data that would allow for the analysis of causal effects of epochal turning points, external shocks, or other events.

This workshop, organized by the ERGOMAS Working Group “Public Opinion, Mass Media, and the Military” and the Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences, will look at the Zeitenwende-concept and the Zeitenwende-character of changes in public opinion on foreign and security policy from different perspectives:

- The definition of epochal turning points and the measurement of their (long-term) effects:

o   How can we define a Zeitenwende/epochal turning point or external shock in public opinion?

o   How can we measure the (long-term) effects of an epochal turning point or events in general on public opinion?

- The impact of epochal turning points, external shocks, and events:

o   Which epochal turning points, external shocks, or events can/do cause a dramatic shift in public opinion?

o   How does an epochal turning point, external shock, or event impact public opinion?

o   How long do changes in public opinion due to an epochal turning point, external shock, or event last?

o   Why do different epochal turning points, external shocks, or events have a different impact on (changes in) public opinion?

o   Which role do the mass media and political communication play for changes of public opinion by epochal turning points, external shocks, or events?

o   How does the Russian attack on Ukraine impact public opinion on foreign and security policy?

- The consequences of dramatic shifts in public opinion:

o   How do dramatic shifts in public opinion change politics, policies, or political decisions?

o   How do politics and public opinion interact with respect to epochal turning points, external shocks, or events?

The final programme of the workshop will be published here after the end of the registration period (September 30, 2023). If you are interested in attending the workshop, please get in touch with one of the WG-coordinators.

ERGOMAS Conference 2024:

The WG looks forward to the ERGOMAS Conference 2024 in Krakow, Poland.

 

Paper Room/Recent Publications

- Steinbrecher, Markus; Biehl, Heiko; Elbe, Martin (Eds.) 2022, Empirical Social Research in and on the Armed Forces. Comparative and National Perspectives. Berlin: Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag.

- Tresch, Tibor Szvircsev; Wenger, Andreas; De Rosa, Stefano; Ferst, Thomas; Rizzo, Emanuela; Robert, Jacques; Roost, Till 2023, Studie "Sicherheit 2023". Aussen-, Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitische Meinungsbildung im Trend. Birmensdorf, Zuerich: MILAC, ETH.