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A New Approach to Measuring Political and Social Polarisation in Developed Nations

Research Project

Project/Area Number 19K23181
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section 0106:Political science and related fields
Research InstitutionWaseda University

Principal Investigator

Fahey Robert Andrew  早稲田大学, 政治経済学術院, 研究助手 (10844516)

Project Period (FY) 2019-08-30 – 2022-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2021)
Budget Amount *help
¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Keywords分極化 / 二極化 / SNS / ネットワーク分析 / ソーシャルメディア / 比較政治 / polarisation / contemporary politics / comparative politics / social media / network analysis / political polarisation / affective polarisation / polarization / social polarization / cross-national / social networks / affective polarization / social polarisation / 政治的分極化 / Polarisation / SNSデータ / Social Media
Outline of Research at the Start

Political polarisation is one of the factors behind the rise of populist political movements in many developed countries. This research uses data from social networks to carry out a cross-national comparison of polarisation, using an innovative approach that looks beyond individuals’ political interactions and encompasses their participation in non-political networks (social, cultural, sporting etc.). This will show whether polarisation is confined to political views or whether it extends into non-political aspects of citizens’ lives, which would suggest a more deeply divided society.

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research proposes and tests a novel method for measuring and analysing social polarization using network data from social media. Focusing on four target countries - Ireland, Belgium, Italy, and Japan - the research examines the non-political social networks of politically-engaged citizens, and calculates the degree of non-political polarization among them. Axes of polarization are identified in each country, and the types of account (media, entertainment, etc.) contributing most to that polarization are reported. Finally, a cross-national comparison reveals that while polarization exists in each country, the levels found in Ireland and Japan are very low compared to the extent of polarization in Belgium and Italy, both countries in which a social cleavage is well-documented.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は民主主義先進国における市民集団間の二極化の度合いを測定するための実証的な方法を提供するものである。ソーシャルメディアデータを利用することには欠点があるが(全人口の代表さ等)、既存のネットワークを観察すると、世論調査等より公平なデータを得ることができる。また、どのような社会活動が強く偏っているのかを知ることができる。

この研究方法を用いることで、国による分極化の違いを観察することができます。これは、ある国の分極化の度合いがどの程度深刻であるかを文脈的に理解する上で非常に重要である。国内の検討では、一見大きく見える二極化も、他の国の分極化と比較すると実際には非常に低いことが明らかになります。

Report

(4 results)
  • 2021 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • 2019 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (3 results)

All 2021 2020

All Journal Article (2 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 2 results,  Peer Reviewed: 1 results) Presentation (1 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results)

  • [Journal Article] From filter bubble to social divide: social polarisation in Europe and Japan2021

    • Author(s)
      Fahey Robert A.、Camatarri Stefano
    • Journal Title

      Value Politics in Japan and Europe

      Volume: - Pages: 79-102

    • DOI

      10.4324/9781003092087-5

    • ISBN
      9781003092087
    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Populism in Japan2021

    • Author(s)
      Fahey Robert A.、Hino Airo、Pekkanen Robert J.
    • Journal Title

      The Oxford Handbook of Japanese Politics

      Volume: - Pages: 317-350

    • DOI

      10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190050993.013.18

    • ISBN
      9780190050993, 9780190051006
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] From Filter Bubble to Social Divide: Social Polarisation in Europe and Japan2020

    • Author(s)
      Robert Andrew FAHEY、 Stefano CAMATARRI
    • Organizer
      APSA Annual Meeting 2020
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research

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Published: 2019-09-03   Modified: 2023-01-30  

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