Public Consensus Research Articles

The news values of fake news

Fake news poses a significant threat to society by undermining public trust and consensus on critical issues. Although there is a considerable amount of research on the linguistic features of fake news texts, a comprehensive understanding of how language is used to persuade and promote specific ideologies within them is still lacking. This study addresses this gap by analyzing fake news discourse through the lens of news values. We apply the Discursive News Values Analysis (DNVA) framework and key semantic domain analysis to a corpus of fake news stories on vaccination, climate change, and COVID-19. We identify a set of news values that differentiate fake from mainstream news discourse. Our findings reveal that fake news emphasizes negativity, unexpectedness, consonance, and facticity, while also relying on the previously undocumented news values of subversiveness, causality, religiosity, and historicity. These values form a powerful discursive toolkit exploited by fake news writers to craft compelling false narratives.

ON SUBSTANTIATING THE NECESSITY OF CREATING AND USE OF CONSENSUS MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES IN UKRAINE

Based on the analysis of the concept, essence and content of the term «consensus», the article suggests that it is quite appropriate to use it in the processes of practical management of territorial communities of Ukraine, which today urgently need to use innovative principles of public consensus formation in relation to solving the problems of their development. It is demonstrated that the issue of managing the processes of reaching consensus at the basic level of territorial communities of Ukrainian society has not been studied or researched at all. It is proved that the technology of consensus building requires consolidation of intellectual resources of the population of the territorial community, which, in turn, requires professional management based on the intellectualization of personnel and leadership in local self-government bodies. At the same time, the main tool for achieving consensus is the use by leaders and functionaries of the governing body of a constructive dialogue with the population, based on logic and rational assessments of realities, when the parties resolve all issues by coming to a common opinion and common agreement, which raises the problem of increasing the professionalism of governance on the basis of intellectual interaction, analytical thinking and creative approach to the adoption and implementation of management decisions based on the «dictatorship of reason» and the intellectual consensus of the leadership and the population. For this purpose, territorial communities should «...be governed not by the strongest, but by the smartest».

Socioeconomic, Psychological, and Informational Dynamics in Shaping American Public Opinion Perceptions on Climate Change.

Climate change remains one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century, invoking a wide spectrum of public opinions and attitudes. In the United States, sociopolitical, economic, and educational factors influence the public's perception of climate change and its science. This study examines the complexities of American public opinion on climate change by analyzing the relationship between various socio-demographic variables and three specific perceptions: belief in the occurrence of climate change, support for a carbon tax, and the convincingness of climate science. Utilizing logistic and linear regression models on survey data, this study identifies significant predictors for each climate change perception metric. The results indicate that political party affiliation, particularly Republican identification, is inversely related to the belief in climate change and the persuasiveness of climate science. Conversely, educational attainment correlates positively with the belief in climate change and support for carbon taxation, suggesting that higher education levels foster greater acceptance and proactive attitudes towards climate policy. Gender analysis revealed that males are less inclined to find climate science convincing, highlighting the need for gender-sensitive communication strategies. Interestingly, regional factors showed negligible influence on climate change perceptions, challenging common assumptions about geographical determinants. This study contributes to the discourse on environmental policy and public engagement by delineating the demographic contours of climate change belief systems in the U.S., offering insights for targeted educational and communication strategies to bridge the ideological divide and enhance public consensus for climate action.

Evaluation of Sonic Boom Shock Wave Generation with CFD Green Methods

Over the past two decades, there has been a renewed interest in the development of a new generation of supersonic aircraft for civil purposes that could potentially succeed Concorde. However, the noise annoyance is still considered one of the hampering factors to meet public consensus. This paper aims at revealing the potential of numerical simulations to predict sonic boom signature in Near Field at early design stages. In particular, the paper further demonstrates the applicability of the numerical approach proposed by NASA and other partners during the Sonic Boom Prediction Workshops held between 2014 and 2021, to compute the pressure signature of aircraft in the zone close to it. The results highlight the suitability of the approach (1) to capture the impact of aircraft flight condition variations on the sonic boom signature, (2) to enable the characterization of novel aircraft layout, including Mach 5 waverider configuration, (3) to provide near-field shock wave noise predictions that can be used to evaluate shock propagation, on-ground signature analyses, and annoyance assessment.

Closing the Loop between Waste-to-Energy Technologies: A Holistic Assessment Based on Multiple Criteria

This paper puts forward a generic methodological framework to holistically assess WtE technologies based on the PROMETHEE approach. In addition to environmental and economic aspects, the method focuses on large-scale applicability and social preference, thus adopting economic, environmental, social, and technological criteria. Three data sources are selected, namely the scientific literature, a public survey, and an experts’ opinion survey, which is a novel combination with the aim to cover public consensus, technological applicability, and to provide alternative data sources for the economic and environmental criteria, thus enriching the methodology with the input of location specific data. The demonstration of the applicability of the proposed methodology is realized at a national level for the case of Greece. Anaerobic Digestion is shown to be the most preferable choice, recognized for its cost-effectiveness and lower environmental burden to other WtE technologies (i.e., gasification, pyrolysis, incineration). When all criteria are evaluated with equal weights, anaerobic digestion greatly outperforms incineration (net flow 0.833 versus 0.1667), while incineration only becomes the most preferred choice if the social criterion is in high focus (i.e., over 63% weight).

Preventing deviant behaviours in the formulation and implementation of environmental health policies in the era of self-media

National health could significantly impact political, economic and social spheres, having a critical role in national development, social stability and sustainable economic growth. The Chinese government is prioritizing health in all policies and promoting environmental health work. However, deviations in the implementation of China’s environmental health policy, such as excessive or incomplete execution, could hinder progress. Studies have identified the main factors that are inhibiting effective policy implementation; these include incomplete grassroots policy mechanisms, cognitive biases amongst policy executors, varying acceptance of policy execution objects and environmental complexity. To mitigate these issues, several actions have been recommended including improving government mechanisms, enhancing technical support, developing talents, increasing public scientific literacy and considering the needs of policy executors and environmental complexity. The Internet, especially self-media platforms, can enhance policy communication, reduce information bias and foster a favourable environment for policy implementation. By using self-media’s dissemination mechanism effectively, we can strengthen public consensus and improve public scientific literacy in environmental health. This contributes to eliminating policy formulation and implementation deviations, fully leveraging the guiding role of policies and promoting the construction of a Healthy China.

The consensus-clarifying role of deliberative mini-publics in constitutional amendment: A reply to Oran Doyle and Rachael Walsh

Abstract Oran Doyle and Rachael Walsh’s article “Constitutional Amendment and Public Will Formation: Deliberative Mini-Publics as a Tool for Consensus Democracy” is a welcome addition to the literature on Ireland’s efforts to integrate deliberative citizen-involved structures into its constitutional amendment process. We agree that the Citizens’ Assembly on abortion played a role in shaping the legal position that ultimately emerged in Irish law; we disagree, however, with the authors’ account of how that occurred. In particular, we do not believe the Irish experience supports the claim that deliberative mini-publics help to build the consensus for constitutional amendment. On the contrary, on each occasion where amendment processes incorporating a deliberative element have succeeded in Ireland, there has been clear evidence of an enduring pre-existing public consensus over the core of the amendment proposed. We suggest that the potential value of deliberative mini-publics might more accurately be seen as one of consensus-clarifying rather than consensus-building. While a mini-public may be unlikely to create a novel constitutional consensus, it can have a significant—potentially causal—role in converting a general and disparate desire for change into a specific form. That, in our view, is what occurred with the repeal and replacement of Ireland’s constitutional position on abortion. We argue that a careful analysis of the process provides tangible evidence that the Assembly affected the outcome in clear and specific ways: its significant impact was not in creating a constitutional consensus that had previously been absent, but rather, we argue, in putting on the agenda, and coalescing support around, a specific form of legal change.

A data-driven kinetic model for opinion dynamics with social network contacts

Abstract Opinion dynamics is an important and very active area of research that delves into the complex processes through which individuals form and modify their opinions within a social context. The ability to comprehend and unravel the mechanisms that drive opinion formation is of great significance for predicting a wide range of social phenomena such as political polarisation, the diffusion of misinformation, the formation of public consensus and the emergence of collective behaviours. In this paper, we aim to contribute to that field by introducing a novel mathematical model that specifically accounts for the influence of social media networks on opinion dynamics. With the rise of platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and many others, social networks have become significant arenas where opinions are shared, discussed and potentially altered. To this aim after an analytical construction of our new model and through incorporation of real-life data from Twitter, we calibrate the model parameters to accurately reflect the dynamics that unfold in social media, showing in particular the role played by the so-called influencers in driving individual opinions towards predetermined directions.

Crisis classifications in mobility: Reporting the first COVID death in Taiwan

Crisis classifications are integral to COVID-19 press conferences. During the initial outbreak of the pandemic, public health officials classified the crisis status of the community. Depending on the status assigned, the community faced various consequences such as lockdowns and travel restrictions. This study traces Taiwanese health officials’ classification practices across temporal orders and participation frameworks. I call this successive link of discursive practices ‘crisis classifications in mobility’ to elucidate the processes of category production and dissemination. The mobility moved from uncertainty to certainty as health officials and journalists negotiated whether the first death of COVID-19 constituted a sign of community infection or community spread. Officials deployed metadiscourse to render some categories mobile and others immobile. Journalists used metadiscourse to push forward candidate categories and animate conflicting accounts given by local experts and a global superpower. Classifications in mobility capture these challenges of deconstructing and reconstructing categories in building public consensus.

The Interaction of Government and Society in an Online Dialogue (on the Example of the Kostroma Region)

Relevance. The article analyzes the transformation of the interaction of society and government from offline dialogue to online communication - on the example of the Kostroma region.The purpose of the study is to identify the opportunities and forms of online interaction between the government and society for discussing socially significant topics.Objectives: to analyze the content of public discussions taking place at the regional level and related to the construction, restoration and functioning of objects of cultural significance; to identify forms of integration into the digital public space of techniques that characterize traditional dialogue; to identify a range of problems that hinder an effective and equal online dialogue between government and society.Methodology. The research is based on a dialectical understanding of socio-cultural processes and phenomena, on general scientific and logical methods of cognition. Ideographic, historical-comparative, and institutional methods are used.The results of the research are theoretical and applied in nature and are aimed at finding effective techniques that eliminate barriers to alienation of society and government in the digital public sphere, ensuring interested and productive participation of the parties in the discussion of a socially significant agenda.Conclusions. The nonlinear and spontaneous nature of the transformation of offline dialogue into online communication is noted, which is explained by the insufficient adaptive resource of a part of society, as well as the survivability of old management technologies and models. The possibilities and advantages of online communication for discussing socially significant topics are revealed. It is proved that at present a significant part of legislative or technical obstacles to establishing a productive online dialogue between the authorities and the population have been eliminated - mental and psychological obstacles remain. It is concluded that the escapist tactics of the authorities, ignoring the request of the population to participate in the discussion of regional and urban problems, as well as the destructive revelatory pathos into which the opposition often falls, is an equally fragile basis for the search for public consensus. It is noted that the digital public sphere is still evaluated by some government representatives primarily as a resource for formalizing and standardizing dialogue with citizens.

Effects of Urban Landmark Landscapes on Residents’ Place Identity: The Moderating Role of Residence Duration

Landmark landscapes, as visual representations of cities, are readily identifiable to urban residents. Observing and visiting these landscapes fosters a cultural connection and identity with the locale, enhances urban character, and promotes tourism. A place’s identity is instrumental in urban development and improvement. Urban planners and managers should thus prioritize fostering residents’ place identity within city environments. In this study, we explored the influence of landmark landscapes on the place identity of residents in Nanjing—a rapidly urbanizing city with both historic and modern districts. Our methodology included on-site surveys and the application of a structural equation model to discern the relationships between various landmark landscape elements and place identity. The findings revealed the following: (1) landmark landscapes positively influence residents’ construction of place identity; (2) the characteristics, function, and historical–cultural importance of these landmark landscapes contribute to place identity formation; and (3) the duration of residence moderates the relationship between historical–cultural importance and place identity. These insights elucidate the role of landmark landscapes in shaping place identity, which in turn enhances urban characteristics and bolsters residents’ sense of belonging. The strategic planning and design of landmark landscapes are instrumental in building public consensus, fostering distinctive urban characteristics, and strengthening residents’ sense of identity, thereby catalyzing tourism development.

Small states and the dilemma of geopolitics: role change in Finland and Sweden

Abstract This article focuses on foreign policy role change in small liberal states caused by a weakening rules-based order illustrated by the decisions of Finland and Sweden to apply for membership of NATO, thereby abandoning longstanding policies of military non-alignment. Although both countries sought alignment with NATO in the context of intense security threats in northern Europe, the domestic processes of foreign policy role change proceeded along different trajectories. In Finland, the domestic process of role change was characterized by strong elite and public consensus on membership of NATO, whereas in Sweden there was more hesitation regarding giving up military non-alignment and losing freedom of action. In this article, we address a gap in the literature on role theory and domestic role change by conceptualizing the dilemma of small liberal states being compelled to reassess national role conceptions in their domestic settings in the face of external challenges outside their control, without jeopardizing national autonomy and deep-seated social identities. To this end, we construct a model for national action strategies based on scope conditions of domestic role change, varying according to the level of congruence in national identity and the degree of domestic elite consensus concerning national foreign policy.

The image of Bulgaria on the pages of the newspaper «Russian invalid» during the First World War (1916–1917)

The article examines and analyzes the image of Bulgaria, which was created by domestic journalists on the pages of the periodical «Russian invalid» during the First World War (1916–1917), when the Russian Empire was in active military confrontation with the countries of the Quadruple Alliance, and the Bulgarian Kingdom, being a member of the military-political alliance of the Central Powers, actively participated in military operations on the Thessaloniki Front against Russia’s allies – Serbia and Romania. Correspondents of the «Russian invalid» on the pages of their publication in 1916–1917. Attention was paid to Bulgaria, but to a much lesser extent than to Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey. Most of the information about the Bulgarian Kingdom was posted in the headings «External News», «Military Review», «Balkan Peninsula» and «Serbian Front». Based on the results of the analysis of the materials presented on the pages of «Russian invalid», the following distinctive features of the image of Bulgaria formed by the journalists of this newspaper in 1916–1917 were identified: - a minor ally of the Hohenzollern Empire on the Balkan Peninsula, which was under complete control from Berlin; - a country that sought to realize its territorial claims through participation in the world war; - a state that had great political ambitions, but did not have the necessary resources to achieve them; - a country in which there was no public consensus regarding the participation of their armed forces in the war on the side of the Quadruple Alliance. In conclusion, it is concluded that the Bulgarian Kingdom in «Russian invalid» appeared as a state that sought to defend its state interests, including trying to revise the results of the Second Balkan War, which were perceived by the Bulgarian political elite as «the first national catastrophe».

СОЦИАЛЬНЫЙ СТАТУС ЭКСКУРСОВОДА КАК КУЛЬТУРНОГО ПОСРЕДНИКА В ТРАНСЛЯЦИИ СИМВОЛИЧЕСКИХ СМЫСЛОВ

The article analyzes the impact of current social changes on the social status of the tour guide. It is substantiated that, despite the variety of functions of tour tour guiding, the role of a tour guide as a cultural mediator remains of key importance for modern society. It is argued that guides belong to the community of intellectuals and influence the formation and transmission of symbolic meanings, promoting intergroup dialogue and public consensus. The main social issues faced by tour guides in the context of growing commercialization and technologization of tourism services were identified based on interviews with tour guides in the Kaliningrad region. It is concluded that the main challenges to the status of guides today are the blurred boundaries of occupation, lack of social recognition of professional competencies and the difficulty of adapting excursion activities to the conditions of the digital economy. It is proved however that at their core, tour guides confirm their status of the intellectual community and have requests characteristic of it.

Taxes on real estate- an effective economic management tool in many countries worldwide and lessons for Vietnam

The state budget is a crucial political task for governments, with taxes being a significant source of revenue. In developed nations, property taxes constitute the primary source in total tax revenue and local budgets. Vietnam currently does not levy property taxes on real estate but only imposes taxes on agricultural land use and non-agricultural land use based on very low predetermined land values. Introducing property taxes not only generates a substantial and sustainable source of revenue for the budget but also helps curb speculation in land and real estate, promoting transparency in asset ownership. Due to a lack of comprehensive and standardized legal, technical, and economic statistics, and the rapidly changing market prices for land and real estate, formulating property tax laws in Vietnam has been challenging. Despite significant differences in conditions compared to other countries, property taxes are deemed essential in the near future. Researching theoretical foundations and the experiences of other nations in real estate tax laws, especially those undergoing economic transitions like Vietnam, is crucial. It is known that this tax has been under thorough examination to gradually develop, enact, and implement it in line with practical needs and, most importantly, to garner public and societal consensus.

Socioeconomic, psychological, and informational dynamics in shaping American public opinion perceptions on climate change

Climate change remains one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century, invoking a wide spectrum of public opinions and attitudes. In the United States, sociopolitical, economic, and educational factors influence the public's perception of climate change and its science. This study examines the complexities of American public opinion on climate change by analyzing the relationship between various socio-demographic variables and three specific perceptions: belief in the occurrence of climate change, support for a carbon tax, and the convincingness of climate science. Utilizing logistic and linear regression models on survey data, this study identifies significant predictors for each climate change perception metric. The results indicate that political party affiliation, particularly Republican identification, is inversely related to the belief in climate change and the persuasiveness of climate science. Conversely, educational attainment correlates positively with both the belief in climate change and support for carbon taxation, suggesting that higher education levels foster greater acceptance and proactive attitudes towards climate policy. Gender analysis revealed that males are less inclined to find climate science convincing, highlighting the need for gender-sensitive communication strategies. Interestingly, regional factors showed negligible influence on climate change perceptions, challenging common assumptions about geographical determinants. This study contributes to the discourse on environmental policy and public engagement by delineating the demographic contours of climate change belief systems in the U.S., offering insights for targeted educational and communication strategies to bridge the ideological divide and enhance public consensus for climate action.

정책논변모형을 통한 고교학점제 담론 분석

This study analyzes the discourse through the policy argument model and proposes implications for policy implementation under the recognition that the policy means and contents are important for the correct implementation of the policy purpose of the high school credit system. To achieve the research purpose, this study reorganized and utilized Toulmin et al.’s (1979) analysis framework.The conclusions of the analysis using the policy argument model are as follows. First of all, since the high school credit system is an education policy that requires public consensus in consideration of its linkage with university entrance examinations, it is necessary to solidify the foundation for a soft landing sequentially through the process of social consensus and public discussion. Next, we need to move away from the tendency to take a piecemeal approach to the issues of the high school credit system’s curriculum, teaching and learning, educational evaluation, and teachers and facilities, and move toward the holistic approach. There needs to be a soft landing for unit schools with an organic approach. As suggested in the argumentative analysis of this study, it seems necessary to have a strategy that can comprehensively enhance the technical feasibility and political feasibility.

SEM analysis of agreement with regulating online hate speech: influences of victimization, social harm assessment, and regulatory effectiveness assessment.

In an era where digital interactions are increasingly prevalent, the challenge of effectively regulating online hate speech has emerged as a crucial societal concern. Balancing the regulation of such speech with the preservation of online freedom of expression is a delicate task, requiring broad consensus among internet users. This study delves into the various factors shaping public attitudes towards the regulation of online hate speech in South Korea. An online survey of 1,000 Internet users provided the data for a structural equation model. Our findings reveal that experiences of victimization by hate speech, online activity such as content uploading, assessment of social harm caused by online hate speech, and assessment on the effectiveness of regulatory measures all play significant roles in garnering support for regulation. Notably, online activity correlates strongly with increased encounters with hate speech. This, in turn, leads to a more profound understanding of its social harm and, consequently, a heightened inclination to support regulatory measures. These insights underscore the growing urgency to address online hate speech, especially as online activity continue to intensify. This study contributes to the discourse on online hate speech regulation by highlighting the complex interplay of personal experience, perceived harm, and efficacy of regulation in shaping public consensus.

Popular vote as a form of online dialogue between government and society

The authors consider the popular vote as a mechanism of convergent movement of power and society in the context of the formation and development of the digital public sphere. The theoretical and methodological basis of communication between government and society is analyzed. The search for modern forms of dialogue between government and society is made in the context of discussions on the use of remote electronic voting (DEG) in the electoral process. The role, opportunities, prospects and risks of online voting in Russian regional and municipal practice are assessed, in particular, in the implementation of the program "Formation of a comfortable urban environment", which is a positive experience of equal and effective interaction between government and society, offers one of the possible directions of public dialogue, the essence of which is the transition from an archaic subject-object models for intersubjective communication. The research is based on a dialectical understanding of socio-cultural processes and phenomena, on general scientific and logical methods of cognition. Statistical, institutional and comparative methods are used. The scientific novelty lies in the study of online voting as an effective form of achieving public consensus within the framework of a specific federal program. It is noted that online voting corresponds to the electoral culture of Russian society, its conventional features. The necessity of broad inclusion of citizens in the discussion and implementation of land improvement programs and other socially significant projects is substantiated. The motives that provide these programs with significant public support are revealed. The data characterizing the quality of the urban environment in the Central Federal District are summarized and analyzed. The conclusion is made about the relationship between the popular vote and the growth of the urban space quality index. The resources of the urban environment quality index and the popular vote are evaluated as conditions for the formation of a healthy competitive field, where the main engine is awareness of the responsibility of the administration and residents of the region for the prestige of their region. Recommendations are formulated on the institutionalization of online voting to solve problems that determine the current regional and municipal agenda.

Inflation aversion in Turkey

Inflation has been at the center of policy debates in Turkey since the 1970s. Although the country experienced a rapid disinflation period during the early 2000s, Turkish inflation has always remained high compared to other developing countries. Disinflationary policies require a long-run commitment of policymakers backed by public consensus and strong institutions. In this paper, we aim to understand the factors that shape the public attitudes of Turkish citizens towards inflation for the period between 2004 and 2020 using Eurobarometer data. We find that belonging to a vulnerable class increases the probability of being inflation averse, while favorable expectations for the future, being on the right of the political spectrum, and trust in politicians decrease inflation aversion.