Two-wave Panel Study Research Articles

Social media use and support for populist radical right parties: assessing exposure and selection effects in a two-wave panel study

ABSTRACT Vote shares for populist radical right parties (PRRPs) have increased considerably in recent years, and this advancement of PRRPs has been attributed in part to social media. We assess the affinity between social media and populist radical right parties by examining a) whether more frequent social media use for news enhances the willingness to vote for a PRRP (exposure effect) as well as b) whether individuals who have voted for a PRRP in the past use social media more frequently to access news (selection effect). To address these research questions, we analysed data of a two-wave survey study that was conducted in Germany, focusing on the party Alternative for Germany (AfD). Binary logistic regression highlighted that social media use increased the likelihood of supporting the AfD. Pre-registered multinominal analyses, however, showed that this effect was driven by specific party comparisons. That is, using the AfD as a reference category, social media use reduced intentions to vote for parties that expressed similar positions as the AfD on the issue of immigration and with which the PRRP competes over votes. Social media selection effects were not supported.

School lessons, social media and political events in a get-out-the-vote campaign: successful drivers of political engagement among youth?

ABSTRACT During election times, societal actors frequently employ specific get-out-the-vote campaigns to mobilize young voters’ turnout and engagement with the election. Although such campaigns receive praise in society, little is known about how effective they are and if they shape longer lasting types of political engagement. This study presents novel evidence about the differential effects of a multi-platform get-out-the-vote campaign in Denmark, and investigates how such campaigns can help to address the important democratic problem of youth disengagement. Based on a two-wave panel study among high school- and university students in Denmark (n = 275), the effects of classroom interventions, political event participation, and social media use on political interest, knowledge, and political efficacy are explored. The results suggests that get-out-the-vote campaigns are able to strengthen youths’ political engagement, but that civic education and political events may be more important than communication via social media.

Does incidental exposure on social media equalize or reinforce participatory gaps? Evidence from a panel study

Existing research indicates that incidental exposure to political information on social media may function as an equalizer, stimulating political engagement among the politically detached. In this article, we challenge this notion and propose that there are good reasons to assume that incidental exposure may reinforce existing gaps. We test the equalizing against the reinforcing hypothesis using data from a two-wave panel study ( N = 559). We find a positive main effect of incidental exposure on low-effort digital participation. However, this effect was not conditional on political interest, as the equalizing assumption would have suggested. More interestingly, we found that the effect of incidental exposure on high-effort digital participation was conditional on political interest. However, against the assumption of equalization, individuals with low levels of political interest were negatively affected by incidental exposure, thus lending support for the reinforcement hypothesis. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed.

Effects of exposure to self-harm on social media: Evidence from a two-wave panel study among young adults

Suicide is a leading cause of death among youth, and media depictions of suicidal behavior can be a contributing risk factor. Of interest, Instagram recently received more scholarly attention due to its large number of publicly available, explicit, and graphic depictions of self-harm. Importantly, researchers have hypothesized that exposure to this content could be a risk for self-harm and suicide in vulnerable audiences. We tested this hypothesis using a two-wave US panel survey among young adults ( N = 729). Analyses indicated that exposure to self-harm on Instagram was associated with suicidal ideation, self-harm, and emotional disturbance even controlling for exposure to other sources with similar content. As hypothesized, exposure to self-harm on Instagram at the first wave prospectively predicted self-harm and suicidality-related outcomes at the second wave 1 month later. These findings provide evidence that such exposure can lead to contagion in vulnerable users. Implications are discussed.

Applying social production function theory to benefits of schooling: the concept of values of education

Many approaches to explaining educational inequalities relate explicitly and implicitly to benefits of education, and rational choice theories in particular consider monetary benefits. We specify a concept of the value of education that allows for an empirical analysis of educational benefits, considering both monetary and non-monetary dimensions (instrumental goals) outlined in social production function theory. Our objectives include introducing a sound theoretical framework, the validation of an empirical measurement instrument and an analysis of the differences between certain dimensions of educational values structured by social origin, gender and immigrant background. Analyses are based on a two-wave panel study (SASAL-School Alienation in Switzerland and Luxembourg) carried out in secondary schools in Luxembourg and Switzerland. We distinguish four dimensions within the concept of values of education: stimulation, comfort/status, behavioural confirmation and affection. The different dimensions of the value of education are influenced by gender and immigrant backgrounds in both national settings.

Examining the inverted U-shaped relationship between workload and innovative work behavior: The role of work engagement and mindfulness

Is workload good or bad for employee innovation? Workload and innovative work behavior are widely studied research topics. However, the relationship between them is not well understood. As a result, there is a lack of evidence-based knowledge that could inform managers and organizations on how to boost workplace innovation in demanding work contexts. Building on the job demands–resources model, the present study posits that workload relates to innovative behavior through work engagement. Specifically, we argue that this indirect relationship exhibits an inverted U-shaped pattern in which workload is most likely to benefit innovative behavior when it is moderate. We further identify mindfulness as an important moderator that influences individuals’ ability to manage stress. In support of these predictions, three studies – a two-wave time-lagged study of 160 employees from various Canadian firms, a three-wave time-lagged study of 153 employees from US firms, and a two-wave panel study of 208 employees from US firms – found work engagement mediated the inverted U-shaped relationship between workload and innovative behavior. Moreover, when mindfulness was high, intermediate levels of workload were associated with increased innovative behavior through enhanced work engagement (Studies 1 and 2). We discuss the implications of these findings for theory and practice.

Funny Cats and Politics: Do Humorous Context Posts Impede or Foster the Elaboration of News Posts on Social Media?

On Social Network Sites (SNS), citizens are frequently exposed to political news posts embedded in humorous context posts, such as funny videos or pictures. Using data from two experimental studies and a two-wave panel study, we test the effect of exposure to humorous context posts on message elaboration, and the consequences for political participation and knowledge. Results from the experimental studies indicated that incidental exposure to political posts in the context of humorous posts can increase message elaboration and in turn knowledge and participation. In line with these findings, results from the panel analysis revealed that exposure to humorous posts boosted message elaboration only among individuals who rarely used SNS for news. However, for citizens who use SNS for news more frequently, the effect of humor exposure on elaboration turned negative. While the panel data suggest that message elaboration positively affected political participation, there was no positive effect on knowledge.

An investigation of the effectiveness and determinants of seeking support among adolescent victims of cyberbullying

The purpose of this study is to investigate longitudinal associations between seeking social support and cyberbullying victimization and between seeking social support and internalizing problems. A two-wave panel study was conducted among 2,128 adolescents aged 10–17. A cross-lagged panel analysis among those adolescents who indicated being a victim at Time 1 (N=234) demonstrates that seeking support is associated with lower cyberbullying victimization six months later. However, this seems only true for seeking support from friends and not from parents or teachers. Furthermore, the model shows that adolescents who fear being negatively evaluated by peers are less inclined to seek support from friends, whereas adolescents with high self-esteem are less likely to seek support from parents and teachers. Implications and limitations are discussed.

A two-wave panel study on teachers' emotions and emotional-labour strategies.

The aim of this study was to examine the reciprocal relations between discrete emotions that teachers typically experience while teaching and interacting with students (i.e., joy, love, anger, and hopelessness) and emotional labour strategies (i.e., deep acting and two forms of surface acting-hiding feelings and faking emotions) over time. To address these research aims, two-wave panel design and cross-lagged structural equation modeling were implemented. An initial sample of 2,022 teachers filled in questionnaires with a time lag of 6months. The results showed that teachers' emotions and emotional labour are related to each other over time. Love positively predicted deep acting and anger positively predicted hiding feelings and faking emotion over time. The opposite direction of association was also established-deep acting positively predicted joy, whereas hiding feelings positively predicted hopelessness. The results highlight the importance of taking a discrete approach to emotions and triadic approach to emotional labour when examining their reciprocal relations and may have important practical implications in promoting teachers' emotional well-being.

Exploring Motivations for Online Privacy Protection Behavior: Insights From Panel Data

Personally managing and protecting online privacy has become an essential part of everyday life. This research draws on the protection motivation theory (PMT) to investigate privacy protective behavior online. A two-wave panel study ( N = 928) shows that (1) people rarely to occasionally protect their online privacy and (2) people most often delete cookies and browser history or decline cookies to protect their online privacy. In addition, (3) the perceived threat is high: People perceive the collection, usage, and sharing of personal information as a severe problem to which they are susceptible. The coping appraisal is mixed: Although people do have confidence in some protective measures, they have little confidence in their own efficacy to protect their online privacy. Moreover, privacy protective behavior is affected by perceived severity and response efficacy. These findings emphasize the relevance of the PMT in the context of privacy threats, and have important implications for regulators.

Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Off-Job Activities on Recovery and Sleep: A Two-Wave Panel Study among Health Care Employees.

This study examined whether particular recovery activities after work have a positive or negative effect on employee recovery from work (i.e., cognitive, emotional, and physical detachment) and sleep quality. We used a two-wave panel study of 230 health care employees which enabled looking at both short-term and long-term effects (i.e., two-year time interval). Gender, age, marital status, children at home, education level, management position, and working hours were used as control variables. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that work-related off-job activities were negatively associated with cognitive and emotional detachment in both the short and long run, whereas low-effort off-job activities were positively related to cognitive detachment in the short run. Moreover, household/care off-job activities were positively related to sleep quality in the long run, whereas physical off-job activities were negatively associated with sleep quality in the long run. The long-term findings existed beyond the strong effects of baseline detachment and sleep quality. This study highlights the importance of off-job recovery activities for health care employees’ detachment from work and sleep quality. Practical implications and avenues for further research are discussed.

Safety compliance re-examined: Differentiating deep compliance from surface compliance

The present study extended the concept of safety compliance by differentiating two forms of compliance behavior: deep compliance and surface compliance. We then drew on research on safety climate and developed a model of how different dimensions of safety climate: namely, management commitment to safety and perceived punishment for non-compliance behavior, influence these two forms of safety compliance. Using a two-wave panel study design, we collected data from 159 full-time employees whose jobs involved following safety rules and procedures on a daily basis. As predicted, results from path analyses indicated that the while deep compliance is predicted by management commitment to safety, surface compliance is predicted by perceived punishment for non-compliance behavior, respectively. Also as predicted, our results showed that deep compliance, but not surface compliance, predicted the safety outcome of near misses, supporting the importance of differentiating these two forms of compliance. Theoretical contributions to the literature and practical implications for promoting safety in the workplace are discussed.

Revisiting the trans-situationality of values in Schwartz’s Portrait Values Questionnaire

Schwartz in his famous theory of basic values follows Parsons and Rokeach in arguing that human values are trans-situational or context free. For any individual, the same personal value priorities exist across different life contexts such as the workplace, the school or the home. This assumption influenced the design of Schwartz’s Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ), which is widely used in the measurement of values. There is a tendency in the literature on values measurement to take this assumption for granted, but some cross-cultural research questions it. In our quest to improve validity and reliability in the measurement of values we used a quasi-experimental two-wave panel study to test Schwartz’s assumption, in the design of his PVQ, that values are trans-situational. Data was collected from sociology classes at two universities: one in Austria (n = 52) and the other in South Africa (n = 61). In the first wave the respondents completed Schwartz’s context-free version of the PVQ, and thereafter they completed a second PVQ with their family/home context in mind. In the second wave, 2 weeks later, the respondents completed the PVQ with the university context in mind. We used various statistical methods in our analysis of the data including a modified Cronbach’s alpha, the Student t test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Stouffer’s z test and multi-dimensional scaling. Our overall findings support a scenario where respondents have a universal set of values, but the way they prioritise their personal values is somewhat influenced by the value priorities associated with the life context they are thinking about.

Active public Facebook use and adolescents' feelings of loneliness: Evidence for a curvilinear relationship

Inconsistent results have been reported concerning the relationships between SNS usage and loneliness. The current two-wave panel study with a one year interval examined the possibility of reciprocal and curvilinear relationships between active public Facebook use and adolescents' social/emotional loneliness. Belgian adolescents from fifteen high schools participated (N = 1188, 55% male). The results showed a U-shaped relationship between (1) active Facebook use and social/emotional loneliness and (2) emotional loneliness and active Facebook use. Specifically, active Facebook use predicted decreased social/emotional loneliness among low to moderate users, while among heavy users, increased levels of social/emotional loneliness were predicted by active Facebook use. Emotional loneliness predicted higher active Facebook use among lonely adolescents. At the same time, emotional loneliness predicted decreased active Facebook use among adolescents who did not feel lonely. These findings stress to consider different types of loneliness, and reciprocal and curvilinear relationships in future social media research.

Explaining online ambassadorship behaviors on Facebook and LinkedIn

Due to technological advancement work is situated within a broader network where work communiqués become public and observable by anyone at any time. This study draws on identity theory and boundary management preferences to examine the extent to which employees use their Facebook and LinkedIn accounts to share updates about their organization. This study reports on a two-wave panel study among Dutch employees (N = 515). Drawing on boundary theory and organizational citizenship literature this study shows that self-enhancement motives are important predictors for ambassadorship behaviors on Facebook and LinkedIn. Conversely, segmentation preferences and identification processes significantly affect ambassadorship behaviors on Facebook, but not on LinkedIn. Hence, social media afford similar behaviors across platforms but the antecedents may differ across social media platforms.

Within-individual Change in Social Support, Perceived Collective Efficacy, Perceived Disorder and Fear of Crime: Results From a Two-wave Panel Study

In this study, we untangle the relationships between fear of crime (perceived risk of victimization) and perceptions of, respectively, social support, collective efficacy and perceived disorder. We use a two-wave panel study with 356 respondents. Results show that prior perceptions of disorder have a positive effect on later levels of perceived risk of victimization, lending support to the hypothesis that fear of crime is, in part, determined by perceived disorder. Levels of social support negatively affected later levels of perceived risk of victimization. Neither perceived informal social control nor perceived social trust had any effect on later levels of perceived risk of victimization. Strengths, weaknesses and suggestions for further research are discussed.

A Change of Heart? Why Individual-Level Public Opinion Shifted Against Trump’s “Muslim Ban”

Public opinion research suggests that rapid and significant individual-level fluctuations in opinions toward various policies is fairly unexpected absent methodological artifacts. While this may generally be the case, some political actions can and do face tremendous backlash, potentially impacting public evaluations. Leveraging broadcast and newspaper transcripts as well as a unique two-wave panel study we demonstrate that a non-random, rapid shift in opinions occurred shortly after President Donald Trump signed executive order 13769 into law, which barred individuals from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days. The ban set off a fury of protests across U.S. cities and airports, garnering tremendous media attention and discussion. Drawing insights from literature on priming, we claim that an influx of new information portraying the “Muslim Ban” at odds with inclusive elements of American identity prompted some citizens to shift their attitudes. Our study highlights the potential broad political effects of mass movements and protests as it pertains to policies that impact racialized minority groups, and suggests that preferences can shift quickly in response to changing political circumstances.

Does ‘clicking’ matter? The role of online participation in adolescents’ civic development

This study focuses on the role of online civic participation in the civic development of adolescents. We build on the assumption that online civic participation differs from more traditional offline civic participation in several key characteristics, namely lacking proximity to other actors, possible disconnection between civic actions and their outcomes, and a reduced hierarchy within the online environment. Considering these specifics, the study examined the longitudinal effect of online participation on the development of civic identity, political self-efficacy, and attitudes toward social authorities. Concurrently, we contrasted the impact of online participation with the impact of offline civic participation. Data from a survey-based two-wave panel study conducted in Spring 2014 and Autumn 2015 in the Czech Republic were utilized. The sample comprised 768 adolescents (aged 14-17 in T1; 54% females). The results showed that online participation predicted increased challenging attitudes towards social authorities, while offline participation had the opposite effect. Furthermore, online participation had no effect on political self-efficacy or civic development, but offline participation positively predicted civic identity. The findings are discussed with regard to the specific benefits and limits of online civic participation.

The Mix of Media Use Matters: Investigating the Effects of Individual News Repertoires on Offline and Online Political Participation

In contemporary high-choice media environments, people increasingly mix and combine their use of various news media into personal news repertoires. Despite this, there is still limited research on how people compose their individual news repertoires and the effects of these news repertoires. To address this and further our understanding of how media use influences political participation, this study investigates (a) how people combine the use of offline and online media into personal news repertoires and (b) the effects of different news repertoires on both offline and online political participation. Based on a two-wave panel study covering the 2014 Swedish national election, this study identifies five news repertoires, labeled minimalists, public news consumers, local news consumers, social media news consumers, and popular online news consumers. Among other things, the results show that social media news consumers are more likely to participate in politics both offline and online.

Terrorist events, emotional reactions, and political participation: the 2015 Paris attacks

The impact of terrorist events on attitude formation and change among mass publics has been well established in political research. Still, no individual-level study has examined the impact of terrorist attacks on political participation. This article aims to fill that gap. Drawing on theories of affect, it is predicted that fear stemming from a terrorist attack will increase motivation to seek out political information, yet will have a negative effect on actual participation. On the contrary, anger will hinder information seeking but will boost the intention to participate in political rallies. These hypotheses are tested using data from a two-wave panel study that collected one wave before and a second wave after the January 2015 Paris attacks, and from one cross-sectional study carried out soon after the November 2015 attacks.