Advancing Social Cohesion in the Face of Polarized Public Discourse

Expected Impact:

This pilot project is expected to produce concrete, actionable outcomes that help better understand and address the drivers of political polarisation, while safeguarding freedom of expression and supporting balanced, evidence-based public debate. The results will contribute directly to the Democracy Shield and strengthen long-term social cohesion and democratic resilience.

Expected impacts include:

• A neutral, scientifically validated methodology for monitoring and analysing online political discourse and polarisation across a representative set of countries and languages, providing policymakers and stakeholders with reliable data and insights into how polarising narratives develop, spread and interact online.
• Measurement of polarisation and related metrics, taking into account both online and offline aspects, with quantitative metrics and qualitative analyses. Production of relevant dashboards and a series of briefs/reports/overviews summarising these findings.
• A set of advanced AI-powered tools and techniques for multilingual sentiment, discourse and network analysis, designed and tested to ensure transparency, neutrality and compliance with GDPR and the Digital Services Act, and adaptable for future research and policy needs.
• Development and testing of evidence-based mitigation strategies and interventions that translate analytical findings into practical measures for countering polarisation online, while fully respecting freedom of speech and the diversity of political expression in the EU. This could feed into societal resilience building actions to be deployed in the future. Establish sustainable cross-sector and pan-European collaboration networks that bring together a wide variety of relevant players, creating a strong foundation for continuous and durable cooperation, knowledge-sharing, as well as policy support related to broader EU initiatives such as the Democracy Shield. In this regard, the funded project will be expected to facilitate discussions among key stakeholders to prepare the establishment of the common research framework.

Scope:

1. Analysis and Monitoring Methodology and Innovative Tools for Understanding Polarisation

A central theme of this pilot project is the development of a neutral and scientifically sound approach to analysing political discourse and polarisation. Proposals should outline how they will combine advanced sentiment, discourse and network analysis to map trends, narratives and influential actors that contribute to political polarisation across the EU. While the priority focus remains on EU Member States, the proposed methodology and its implementation may also examine candidate countries, e.g. those that exhibit vulnerabilities. The methodology must be demonstrably objective, covering a balanced spectrum of political viewpoints and ensuring that data collection and analysis are transparent, reliable and unbiased.

2. European Regional Knowledge Exchange and Implementation Pathways for Social Cohesion

The initiative includes a pan-EU conference in Month 3 of the project, designed to surface, validate, and cross-pollinate effective on-the-ground de-polarisation and social cohesion initiatives, informing the project’s methodology and tooling. From the outset of the action, this conference and the necessary preparations will run in parallel with the development of the Analysis and Monitoring Methodology and Innovative Tools for Understanding Polarisation. The conference will serve as the joint starting point for activities 1 and 2: actors from the field will present their ideas, and the initial concept of the methodology and tools will be presented and discussed with participants. It should also map already existing initiatives, tools and technologies to avoid duplication, create synergies and foster collaboration.

3. Collaboration and Practical Mitigation Strategies

Equally important is the commitment to build cross-sector and cross-border partnerships that translate analytical insights into practical actions. Proposals should show how they will work and cooperate with relevant stakeholders to develop, test, and scale realistic mitigation strategies that counter harmful effects of polarisation without restricting open, democratic debate. Sharing lessons learned and best practices will help ensure that project results can also inform future EU policy and strengthen societal resilience across Member States.