EU Horizon project TaCT-FoRSED - Arming democracies against conspiracy myths

Researchers across Europe have joined forces under the coordination of a team from the University of Passau to investigate persistent conspiracy beliefs. The researchers hope to gain new insights into how democracies can be made more resistant to conspiracy theories.

Liberal and constitutional democracies are under pressure in Europe and worldwide.  Reasons include dwindling trust in the political communication of governments, authorities and the media, while belief in conspiracy narratives remains constant.

"Conspiracy myths undermine democratic processes and the engagement of citizens. They exploit the inherent weaknesses of democracies: their openness and the ambiguity of decision-making processes," explains Professor Oliver Hidalgo, holder of the Chair of Political Science with a focus on political theory at the University of Passau. Together with pedagogue Dr Hannes Birnkammerer, research associate at the Centre for Teacher Training and Subject Didactics (ZLF) at the University of Passau, he has acquired the EU Horizon project TaCT-FoRSED. The acronym stands for "Tackling Conspiracy Theories by Fostering Resilience and Political Self-Efficacy in Democracies".

The researchers have teamed up with 15 organisations across Europe and are pursuing ambitious goals. Firstly, they are investigating the overarching characteristics that characterise the conspiracy mentality of convinced followers from the perspective of various disciplines, including psychology, sociology and political science. To this end, the network is conducting studies with dropouts, among others. Comparative studies are also planned in eight European countries.

Developing a democratic counter-identity

Based on the findings, the research team is designing measures to develop a democratic counter-identity. "We are convinced that although democracy is particularly susceptible to conspiracy myths, it also provides ways and means to heal itself," says Professor Hidalgo. "Especially when it comes to developing a democratic attitude, the ability to tolerate diverse perspectives, school is a good place to practise this," says pedagogue Dr Birnkammerer. As part of the project, he is working with teachers to develop freely accessible educational materials and games based on the findings.

The President of the University of Passau, political scientist and pedagogue Professor Ulrich Bartosch, is delighted with the new project. "I would like to congratulate Mr Hidalgo and Mr Birnkammerer on successfully acquiring this project, which is of great importance, especially in view of the current challenges facing democracy. It fits in perfectly with the university's focal area of Europe, in which dedicated academics are driving forward research into democracy and autocracy, and will provide important impetus for understanding and strengthening democratic structures."

Project partners at a glance

Alongside the University of Passau as coordinator, the University of Leipzig and the Vienna Democracy Centre are also involved in the EU Horizon project TaCT-FoRSED in the German-speaking region. The Vienna Democracy Centre is designing measures for the adult education sector. Partners in the UK are the University of Manchester, the University of Kent and Modus Research and Innovation Limited, the organisation responsible for project management. In Ireland, the South East Technological University is involved. In France, the Université Paris Nanterre and Groupe des Écoles Nationales d'Économie et Statistique are participating. In the Czech Republic, the Prague Security Studies Institute and the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Charles University are involved, while in Slovakia the Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences is collaborating. Partners in Spain are the Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universidad de Granada.

The European Union is funding the project over a period of three years with a total of more than three million euros as part of the Horizon Europe programme (funding agreement 101178926 in the call "Past, present and future of democracies; HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01"). Around 986,000 euros of this will go to the University of Passau. The project will start in February 2025.

More information:

- "Strengthening the self-healing powers of democracy against conspiracy myths" - interview with Professor Hidalgo and Dr Birnkammerer in the Digital Research Magazine (24/10/2024)

- News published via the Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (5/11/2024)