Digital and media literacy as drivers for democratic and civic resilience

The rule of law, respect for human rights and democracy are foundational values of the EU laid down in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. These values provide the Union with principled orientations to meet the inevitable geopolitical economic, social and demographic changes that could not be foreseen at the time the Treaties were drafted. This includes how the digital transformation would affect how the debate and political processes would be shaped.

Democracy is cultural practice as much as it is a political system. It is a key strength of European societies, helping ensure respect for equality, the rule of law, fundamental rights and liberty. Actors with anti-democratic tendencies attack democracies and their institutions because democracy is a safeguard against them[[The 2025 report of the V-Dem Institute (“25 years of Autocratization-Democracy Trumped?”) confirms the appalling signs, indicators and tendencies captured over previous years of measurement: “The trend of the ‘third wave of autocratization’ is deepening and spreading. That includes weakening of democracy in some established liberal democracies, breakdown of democracy in countries that were democratic for most of the 21st century, as well as deepening of autocracy in already autocratic states […] The global democratic decline deepens, regardless of how we slice the data and whichever measure we use” (pp. 9 and 10)]]. Even traditionally well-functioning democracies face many challenges, which means that they also continuously need to adapt as conditions change. Social sciences and humanities (SSH) research plays a crucial role in understanding current challenges and threats and mapping future pathways for innovative solutions. Building on historical, cultural, social, legal and philosophical perspectives, research will foster the further development of democracy with a view to enhancing citizen participation and inclusive policymaking, promoting equality and inclusiveness, addressing the impact of AI and the digital transformation of democracy. It will also reinforce democratic resilience and civic preparedness, and preserve the role of free, independent and plural media as key tenets of democracy, among other objectives.

Expected impact:

Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to the following expected impact of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan:

• Reinvigorating democratic governance by improving the independence, accountability, transparency, effectiveness and trustworthiness of institutions and policies based on rule of law, and through the expansion of active and inclusive citizens’ participation and engagement empowered by the safeguarding of fundamental rights.

The aim of the research investment supporting this impact is to develop a robust evidence base that can inform the establishment of effective, relevant and sensible policies, which bolster the resilience of democratic systems and protect them from threats. At the same time, it seeks to foster critical thinking while also reinforcing citizens’ trust in democracy, its institutions, and the sense of political participation in its widest possible sense.

The destination seeks synergies with other relevant EU programmes, in particular for the uptake of research results and innovative solutions developed under Horizon Europe. Interaction – among others – with the following programmes is encouraged: Digital Europe (DIGITAL), Technical Support Instrument, CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values), Erasmus+, ESF+ and Global Europe: Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument.

Applicants are encouraged to consider, where relevant, the services offered by the current and future EU-funded European Research Infrastructures, particularly those in the social sciences and humanities domain^[1]. Where applicable, proposals should leverage the data and services available through European Research Infrastructures federated under the European Open Science Cloud, as well as data from relevant Data Spaces.

As the destination aims directly at citizen engagement and at producing lasting change, it is of particular importance that the research and innovation actions promote the highest standards of transparency and openness. Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of this destination is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable). When applicable, it is encouraged to open up the process, criteria, methodologies and data to civil society in the course of the research.

To maximise the impacts of R&I under this Destination in line with EU priorities, international cooperation is encouraged whenever relevant in the proposed topics.

[1] For a full list see https://ri-portfolio.esfri.eu/ri-portfolio/table. In the social sciences domain, see for example: CESSDA - Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (https://www.cessda.eu/), ESS – European Social Survey (https://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/), SHARE - Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (https://www.share-eric.eu/) or the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (https://ehri-project.eu/)

Expected Outcome:

Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• EU institutions and national decision-makers, have a better understanding of how to foster democratic resilience through media and digital literacy, equipping societies to adapt and thrive in the face of evolving technological, political, and societal challenges.
• Citizens are empowered to navigate the digital landscape with discernment and critical thinking, actively engaging with media and other source of information, ensuring informed democratic participation.

Scope:

As recalled by the “Safer together” report^[1], “over the past years, the Commission has already taken steps to counter hybrid threats (including foreign information manipulation and interference/FIMI) and enhance democratic resilience across the EU. It adopted, among other initiatives, the European Democracy Action Plan^[2] to build more resilient democracies across the EU by promoting free and fair elections, strengthening media freedom, countering disinformation and FIMI and promoting information integrity. With the adoption of the Digital Services Act^[3] (DSA) and its binding obligations for online platforms to combat the spread of disinformation, the Commission also strengthened the Code of Practice on Disinformation, which became a Code of Conduct within the framework of the DSA. Moreover, the launch of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) and its hubs increased the capacity to detect, analyse and expose disinformation campaigns.”^[4]

The Preparedness Union Strategy^[5] underlines how preparedness is a collective responsibility. It also points at the need to make our democracies more resilient, in particular in view of strengthening trust in institutions, which can be crucial in crisis situations as seen for instance during the COVID pandemic. Groups in a vulnerable situation in particular, such as children, senior citizens and persons with disabilities, ethnic or religious minorities, LGBTIQ people, those suffering poverty and/or social exclusion, are disproportionately affected by crises, often exacerbating pre-existing disadvantages, barriers and inequalities.

Disinformation is particularly harmful as it undermines public confidence and can exacerbate the impact of crises. Engaged, informed and empowered citizens are the best guarantee for the resilience of our democracies. Public authorities, schools, universities and training institutions, youth initiatives, civil society organisations and associations, social partners, businesses, local networks and communities, and citizens from an early age, all play a vital role in such collective endeavour, and the proposed research should take a multi-actor approach.

Against this background, the proposed research should explore the complex and dynamic patterns of user behaviours in the digital age, investigating how individuals seek, evaluate, and engage with information online, and offline. Such an exploration will benefit from including an analysis of the emotional dynamics in the dissemination of disinformation and polarization on digital platforms. This is especially relevant in crisis contexts in which foreign information manipulation and disinformation can be leveraged to increase panic and confusion. Proposals should investigate how algorithms amplify emotive content, fostering polarization and undermining trust in democratic institutions, as well as crisis response and develop digital and media literacy strategies to counter emotionally manipulative narratives, such as populist and post-truth discourses.

The research should also examine the factors that influence digital literacy, information-seeking habits, and online engagement, with a focus on improving citizen’s’ participation and engagement through digital means (including through civic tech) and informed decision-making. At a time when disinformation is used to sow discord by exploiting the fears of citizens, it is crucial to ensure that democratic decisions are informed by the most reliable and widely accepted facts and sources of information available. Research should explore the critical role digital and media literacy can play in fostering societal resilience and information integrity, by allowing citizens to navigate and resist misinformation and disinformation.

Proposals should plan a critical assessment of media and digital literacy initiatives^[6] to assess whether existing efforts are enhancing citizens’ resilience, or whether new approaches are needed to more effectively equip citizens against evolving manipulation tactics.

Research should identify strategies to improve media literacy and digital and media literacy, in order to enhance critical thinking, promote evidence-based decision-making, and counter the negative impacts of disinformation on democratic societies. To facilitate the generation of practical solutions for educators and policymakers, the research could utilise computational tools, such as Social Network Analysis and Natural Language Processing, to map and mitigate the dissemination of disinformation across multiple platforms. This includes identifying Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour and analysing both textual and visual content to inform media literacy initiatives.

Proposals are encouraged to identify other relevant EU-funded projects related to media and digital literacy, and to explore potential collaboration opportunities with them. Clustering and cooperation with other selected projects under this topic and other relevant projects are strongly encouraged.

The projects selected for funding are encouraged to collaborate with the JRC to seek synergies with its work on innovation for democracy and public governance.

[1] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/defence/safer-together-path-towards-fully-prepared-union_en

[2] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_2250

[3] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/digital-services-act_en

[4] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/european-digital-media-observatory

[5] Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the European Preparedness Union Strategy

[6] For instance, “Guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training”, Publications Office of the European Union, 2022,https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/28248; or the UNESCO’s “Global Standards for Media and Information Literacy Curricula Development Guidelines”