The 2021 German federal election was marked by the social restrictions to combat COVID-19, making social media an important component of constituency candidates’ communication strategy. This study ...examines which constituency candidates used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in the 2021 federal election and tests whether this usage paid off on election day. Analyses of a unique dataset of all constituency candidates indicate that about half of the candidates used Facebook and Instagram, but only a third used Twitter. Moreover, candidates who used social media won more votes than those who did not. The results vary significantly between candidates from different parties and different social media platforms. The use of Instagram has been particularly beneficial for SPD candidates, while Green candidates have benefited from Twitter use. The results suggest that the potential of social media campaigning is far from being fully exploited by constituency candidates in Germany.
•Social restrictions to combat COVID-19 marked the 2021 German federal election.•Social media campaigning was therefore important for constituency candidates.•Instagram and Facebook were more common than Twitter among constituency candidates.•Constituency candidates who use social media received more votes on election day.•Effects differ between candidates from different parties and between social media.
This article investigates the way in which party organizational resources and processes may affect perceptions of democracy, looking at the impact of parties' top-down communication mechanisms and ...bottom-up internal processes. Our examination breaks new ground by pairing party organizational data from the Political Party Database (PPDB) with individual-level data from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES), and shows clear evidence of the link between parties' organizational resource capacity and their ability to inspire satisfaction with democracy (the "top-down" path from party organization to democratic evaluations). However, it does not appear that the degree of intra-party democracy practised (the "bottom-up" path) has a similar impact - a striking negative finding, given the growing tendency towards plebiscitary democracy within parties. Overall, these results provide substantial evidence for the importance of party organization and agency in fostering the popular legitimacy of democratic political systems.
Germany POGUNTKE, THOMAS
European journal of political research,
12/2011, Letnik:
50, Številka:
7-8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Year in review political analysis is presented for Germany for the year 2010. The year following the national election was marked by an unprecedented slump in the poll ratings of the junior coalition ...partner the Freie Demokratische Partei (Free Democratic Party, FDP).
Germany Poguntke, Thomas
European journal of political research,
01/2011, Letnik:
50, Številka:
7-8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Year in review political analysis is presented for Germany for the year 2010. Adapted from the source document. Reprinted by permission of Blackwell Publishers
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