Political Opinion Research Articles

Olympism and role of Olympic Values in Sport

The Olympic Movement is one of the most amazing phenomena in the history of mankind. Olympism and the Olympic Movement strongly promote ethics, values, education, excellence, fair play and cultural understanding among people. Olympic games represent the largest sports festival in the world where the athletes get an opportunity to meet and compete with athletes form all over the world. Only a small number of people in the world become Olympians, but every person can enjoy the benefits of being physically active. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seek to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the education value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethic principles. Sport is the most effective tool that promotes education, health, peace, gender equality and violence prevention. In addition, it is globally valued as an excellent mechanism for developing character and contributing to world peace and safety. Over the past 120 years Olympism has been adapted by the Olympic Movement and associated with values present at the given times since its formative years. The Olympic Movement has lived with the need to articulate competition and education, individual and nation, sports for the elite and sports for everybody. To this day the Olympic Games present themselves to be a non-political festivity in the spirit of humanity, free from discrimination based on gender, sex, race, color, sexual orientation, religious or political opinion. The aim of this article is to discuss the concept of Olympism, Olympic Games, Olympic Values and the role of values which are extremely important currently in the 21st century.

The history of the development of the institute of judicial administrative and legal protection of human rights

The article examines the history of the development of the Institute of Judicial Administrative Legal Protection of Human Rights. The socio-economic, political-legal, ideological relations that formed in Ukraine in the period from the beginning of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century were chosen as the object of the study. In addition, which had a decisive influence on the development of ideas about judicial protection of human rights. The subject of the research is political and legal views on judicial protection of human rights. The methodological basis is the principles of historicism, scientificity and objectivity. Problem and comparative research methods were most intensively used. Development of the topic and interpretation of the studied material were carried out taking into account the peculiarities of the analyzed period. When solving the assigned tasks, he followed a complex approach to the analysis of legal phenomena. The chronological boundaries of the study are determined by what was formed at the end of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century. the political and legal opinion in Ukraine regarding the protection of human rights, within the framework of administrative proceedings in particular, has undergone a significant evolution. The political and legal opinion on the implementation of the protection of human rights against the arbitrariness of state authorities formed the basis of the reform of the judicial system, and in the process of this transformation, a new link appeared in the judicial system - the administrative court. It is indicated that the theoretical, practical and didactic significance of the problem is due to fundamental changes in the life of Ukrainian society in the context of integration into the European Union, in which the highest value is recognized as a person, with his status, rights and obligations. It is noted that the construction of a harmonious system of human rights and responsibilities, and, most importantly, the establishment of a mechanism for their real implementation are directly dependent on a comprehensive study of the patterns of formation, formation and functioning of rights and responsibilities, starting from the moment of their inception and up to the present time, which will allow to identify the peculiarities of their further development, to determine the place of rights and obligations in the system of legal values, as well as to identify the prerequisites of existing problems in their implementation and to propose ways to overcome them.

The role of political fit and self-censorship at work for job satisfaction, social belonging, burnout, and turnover intentions

We examined whether employees (N = 710) who experience low levels of political fit and who self-censor their political opinions at work, are more likely to display lower job satisfaction and perceived social community, and higher turnover intentions, burnout, and fear of social isolation. The results largely confirmed these associations and showed that the associations between perceived political fit and job satisfaction, social community, turnover intentions, and burnout were statistically mediated by willingness to self-censor. This suggests that employees who experience lower levels of person-organization fit with regards to their political ideology have a higher tendency to censure themselves, which is negatively related to their well-being, perceived social belonging, and job satisfaction. Furthermore, we found that the willingness to self-censor political opinions at work was slightly higher on average among those who were politically to the left, female, younger, and less educated. The findings point to the complexity of navigating political ideologies in the workplace.

Briefly Noted

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) handed down a unanimous decision on November 23, 2023, in a case brought by former Polish President Lech Walesa against the Polish Government. The Court concluded that a Polish Appeals Court, the Chamber of Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs (CERPA), had violated Walesa's right to an independent and impartial trial, breached “the principle of legal certainty,” and violated his right to respect for private and family life. The Court found that the CERPA “was not an ‘independent and impartial tribunal established by law’” and was often used by the state to “further its own political opinions and motives,” as the Prosecutor General of Poland and the Executive branch of government held considerable influence and authority over the judicial system. Additionally, the 2017 law that created the CERPA gave to the General Prosecutor “the unlimited power to contest virtually any final judicial decision” and extended the time limits for filing appeals, which enabled the Prosecutor to act retroactively and undermine the “requirement of foreseeability.”

Embodied Political Influencers: How U.S. Anti-Abortion Actors Co-Opt Narratives of Marginalization

U.S. anti-abortion activists use social media to advocate for their cause. While influencer scholarship has proliferated within media studies, the advent of political influencers remains understudied, despite their ability to influence public opinion. Through 16 interviews with anti-abortion political influencers combined with digital observation, we examine the emergent tactics of “progressive” anti-abortion influencers. We find that these influencers co-opt marginalized communities’ ideological frameworks and experiences of discrimination in an effort to influence public opinion on abortion. We build upon the concept of identity propaganda from Reddi, Kuo, and Kreiss, but crucially reveal the ways in which these influencers mobilize their own experiences of oppression as members of marginalized communities themselves. Thus, we put forth the theoretical concept of embodied political influencers to articulate these influencers’ aim to change political opinion through identifying as members of marginalized groups, calling on their own historical—and at times contemporary—experiences of subjugation to propagate embodied propaganda.

Who cares? How personal political characteristics are related to online counteractions against hate speech

Abstract Although many Internet users have encountered hate speech online, interventions against those incidents are unlikely. To learn more about online counteractions against hate speech, which we conceptualize as a form of online civic participation, we conducted an online survey representing adult German Internet users (N = 2,691). We investigated what distinguishes users who intervene against hate speech, focusing on associations between citizens’ prior counteractions and their personal political characteristics, their attributed responsibility for intervening against hate speech to social and political actors, and their institutional trust. Results indicate that especially Internet users’ personal political characteristics (e.g., internal political efficacy, political opinion leadership) as well as trust in regulative political institutions are positively associated with counteracting against online hate speech. While social media use and previous experience with counteractions increased the likelihood of users counteracting against hate speech, authoritarian attitudes and attributing responsibility for intervening to platform operators decreased it.

Rule of Law and Human Rights: Analysis of International Standards and Case Law

The EU's human rights policies and actions have two main components: protecting the fundamental rights of EU citizens and promoting human rights around the world. One of the aspects that the UN focuses on is the relationship between democracy and human rights, as the organisation upholds the importance of equal political participation of citizens of its states and full respect for human rights, including the recognition, protection and promotion. As defined by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), human rights are norms that recognise and protect the dignity of all people, meaning they apply to everyone, without distinction of race, gender, education, political opinion, sexual orientation or any other type of moral judgement. The realisation of human rights also obliges states to be responsible for protecting these norms and prohibits certain acts that violate them. Human rights can be said to be one of the greatest achievements of mankind. One of the most important human rights documents is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed in 1948 at the UN General Assembly. Consisting of 30 articles, the Declaration formalises all the theoretical developments made earlier on civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights. Another innovation of the Declaration was the inclusion of human rights in the universal character, becoming the rights of all peoples. Thus, for the UN, human rights "are universal legal guarantees that protect individuals and groups from acts and omissions by governments that violate human dignity"3. Human rights are fundamental and therefore inalienable human rights, i.e. those rights whose violation would lead to an attack on the very essence of humanity. For this reason, it is important that everyone is aware of and knows about human rights, their content and the forms of protection provided for them, as everyone should be able to enjoy their fundamental rights for the sole purpose of living in peace, without distinction. Human rights, democracy and the rule of law create an environment in which countries can promote development, protect people from discrimination and ensure equal access to justice for all.

Вплив соціал-демократів на формування та розвиток української політико-правової думки в Галичині у період проголошення та занепаду ЗУНР (1918-1923 рр.)

This article is devoted to the analysis of the influence of the Ukrainian Social Democratic Party (USDP) on the formation and development of political and legal opinion in Galicia during the period of the proclamation and decline of the ZUNR (1918-1923). The role and place of iconic Ukrainian social democrats in the socio-political life of the region and the peculiarities of the evolution of the USDP to the political course of the ZUNR, the Polish state through the prism of the short period of Ukrainian power and the specifics of the occupation regime are highlighted. It was found that during the period under study, the development of Ukrainian political and legal thought was influenced by tectonic social and political events: the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy; Ukrainian revolutions in Galicia and Trans-Dnieper Ukraine; the proclamation of the West Ukrainian People's Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic; Zluka ZUNR and UNR; occupation of Galicia by Poland; assimilation policy of the Polish government; the struggle of civil society and legal political forces for the restoration of Ukrainian national statehood. It is emphasized that the USDP was directly related to these historical processes, because from the moment of its creation, it was one of the first legal parties of Austria-Hungary to proclaim the idea of the right of the Ukrainian people to state and political independence and made efforts to implement the programmatic position of the party in practice by forming the legal consciousness of Ukrainians Galicia Combining the national idea with Marxism, the social democrats sought to achieve the national and social liberation of the Ukrainian people and build an independent Ukrainian socialist state. It is emphasized that the idea of a unified and cathedral Ukraine became the core during the national liberation struggle of 1917-1923.

Tourist citizenship behaviours towards international restaurants’ political stances: a MAXQDA analysis of political consumerism

ABSTRACT This research explores tourists’ citizenship behaviours toward international restaurants’ political stances during conflicts and wars. A qualitative methodology using thematic analysis and the MAXQDA software was employed to interpret data from semi-structured interviews with tourists in Saudi Arabia. The findings reveal that tourists prioritise food quality and service over political opinions. The study also shows that tourists can voice their dissatisfaction and influence restaurants to conform to their preferences. Restaurants should consider the impact of their political stances and prioritise service quality, transparency, and shared values.

Book notes: Visual Citizenship: Communicating Political Opinions and Emotions on Social Media by Catherine Bouko

Book notes: <i>Visual Citizenship: Communicating Political Opinions and Emotions on Social Media</i> by Catherine Bouko

Who cares for the environment? Pro-environmental and political opinions in relation to basic psychological needs. A person-centered approach

Who cares for the environment? Pro-environmental and political opinions in relation to basic psychological needs. A person-centered approach

Race, immigration, and Black intergroup politics

ABSTRACT While the literature has established that immigration opinions among African Americans are frequently driven by economic anxieties, less is known about how this co-exists with other factors. I argue that race and distribution of foreign-born immigrants at the local level may be important additional factors in determining African American immigration restrictionist sentiment. OLS regressions were run with robustness checks. Results suggest that African Americans living in counties with high proportions of Black or Asian immigrants may lead to more positive immigration sentiments. I find the opposite for those in high Latino foreign-born counties. Additional results with interactions show the limitations of group competition as a mechanism for this relationship. These findings have implications for the future of intergroup relations and suggest further examining the diverse identities of immigrants and their effects on Black political opinion. As the demographics profile of immigrant groups in the US continues to diversify, it is imperative that we continue to investigate how the increasing ethnic diversity of Black America may be disrupting scholarly knowledge and expectations for the future of intergroup relations in America.

Health communication on social media at the early stage of the pandemic: Examining health professionals’ COVID-19 related tweets

Focusing on health professionals’ tweets regarding COVID-19, this study examines whether and how those tweets are unique based on their identity as health experts. The data revealed that the infusion of health communication with political opinions, whether pro- or against certain political parties or health policies, reflects values and may deviate from the original purpose of health communication. In addition, sentiment analysis countered the intuitive thought that health experts merely fulfill their role as neutral encyclopedias without excessively carrying sentiment. We conclude by reflecting on the meaning of health communication in relation to the political stances of professionals.

Historic British Royal Memes

Historic British Royal Memes

The Limits of ‘Opportunity’: Is There a Clear Labour or Conservative View of Social Mobility?

AbstractThis article considers the relationship between views of social mobility in British politics, identifying four competing views in government statements, political news stories and opinion pieces. The two established views are the Blairite liberal view, which seeks to widen entry into the ‘playing field’ of educational ‘opportunity’, and its companion bourgeois view, protecting the acclaim given to elite educational experiences. Against these established views are two insurgent views: a (politically ignored) socialist view and a ‘postliberal’ view introduced into the Social Mobility Commission under the chairship of the loosely Conservative‐aligned Katharine Birbalsingh. On the right, the postliberal and bourgeois views explicitly clash. On the left, with the socialist view dormant, the postliberal view is assimilated by Labour almost as a socialism substitute, appearing in turn with the Blairite liberal view in Labour rhetoric. The result is, respectively on right and left, disharmony and incoherence in the meaning of social mobility.

Rally and Rage: The Gap between Specific and Pandemic-Specific Support for Governments in Europe

In times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public generally expressed high pandemic-specific support for their governments. Analysis based on ESS Round 10 COVID-19 module data from 20 countries shows, however, that there was a gap between pandemic-specific and specific support for governments in European states. A positive gap in favor of pandemic-specific support for governments was found among 52.7% of the respondents, while a negative trend was observed among 24.0% of the respondents. Younger people, those self-employed or working for family businesses, students, those with better subjective health, and people who tested positive for or thought they had suffered from COVID-19 expressed less satisfaction with the government’s handling of COVID-19 in their country compared to general satisfaction with national government performance. Political opinions affected the support gap too; people who were satisfied with the way democracy works, were less trusting of their government’s ability to control the spread of the pathogen, preferred their own decisions over compliance with government restrictions, and perceived that their government failed to manage the health–economy trade-off restrained their pandemic-specific support for the government as well.

Multidimensional political polarization in online social networks

Political polarization in online social platforms is a rapidly growing phenomenon worldwide. Despite their relevance to modern-day politics, the structure and dynamics of polarized states in digital spaces are still poorly understood. We analyze the community structure of a two-layer, interconnected network of French Twitter users, where one layer contains members of Parliament and the other one regular users. We obtain an optimal representation of the network in a four-dimensional political opinion space by combining network embedding methods and political survey data. We find structurally cohesive groups sharing common political attitudes and relate them to the political party landscape in France. The distribution of opinions of professional politicians is narrower than that of regular users, indicating the presence of more extreme attitudes in the general population. We find that politically extreme communities interact less with other groups as compared to more centrist groups. We apply an empirically tested social influence model to the two-layer network to pinpoint interaction mechanisms that can describe the political polarization seen in data, particularly for centrist groups. Our results shed light on the social behaviors that drive digital platforms towards polarization and uncover an informative multidimensional space to assess political attitudes online. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Opinion polarization of immigration and EU attitudes between social classes – the limiting role of working class dissensus

ABSTRACT This study examines polarization in political opinions toward immigration and the European Union between occupational classes, i.e. structural polarization. We maintain that two conditions must hold to indicate structural opinion polarization: high between-class divergence and high within-class consensus. Our main contribution is to study these two conditions systematically for a wide variety of immigration and EU-related topics. Using data from four high-quality German surveys spanning three decades, we document three main findings. First, we find substantial between-class divergence: respondents in typical working class occupations express substantially more unfavorable opinions about immigration and the EU than the upper classes across the majority of survey indicators. Second, however, we also observe considerable opinion heterogeneity within the working class. This lack of within-class consensus limits the potential of mobilizing the working class as a group on the basis of anti-immigration and anti-EU sentiments. Third, while we do not document durable increases in structural opinion polarization over time across most of our opinion indicators, we do draw attention to those individual indicators that show relatively high polarization. Overall, our results suggest limited opinion polarization between occupational classes on immigration and EU issues in Germany.

The Shaheen Bagh Strike: Muslim Women and Political Protest in Contemporary India

The Shaheen Bagh protest in New Delhi highlighted the changing dynamics of Muslim women’s participation in socio-political movements in India. This paper argues how Muslim women proved themselves to be concerned citizens while protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (2019) and other forms of social discrimination. The paper analyses the Shaheen Bagh protest from an intersectional perspective to understand how Muslim women voiced their political opinions negotiating with gender and religion-based discrimination; they had to fight the multiple forms of patriarchy of Indian society while protesting against hypermasculine Hindutva politics. The Shaheen Bagh protest can be called a feminist strike of Third World women for the rights of their religious community in a particular socio-political context.

Time scales in the dynamics of political opinions and the voter model

Opinions in human societies are measured by political polls on time scales of months to years. Such opinion polls do not resolve the effects of individual interactions but constitute a stochastic process. Voter models with zealots (individuals who do not change their opinions) can describe the mean-field dynamics in systems where no consensus is reached. We show that for large populations, the voter model with zealots is equivalent to the noisy voter model and it has a single characteristic time scale associated with the number of zealots in the population. We discuss which parameters are observable in real data by analysing time series of approval ratings of several political leaders that match the statistical behaviour of the voter model using the technique of the time-averaged mean squared displacement. The characteristic time scale of political opinions in societies is around 12 months, so it cannot be resolved by analysing election data, for which the resolution is several years. The effective population size in all fitted data sets is much smaller than the real population size, which indicates positive correlations of successive voter model steps. We also discuss the heterogeneity of voters as a cause of subdiffusion on long time scales, i.e. slow changes in the society.