As part of MeDeMap’s Work Package 5, which focuses on the demand side, we’ve been investigating how citizens across Europe understand and relate to media and democracy in their daily lives. To explore these perspectives, we conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews in all 10 participating countries, engaging with over 400 people from diverse social, cultural, and political backgrounds.
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This cross-national qualitative approach represents a significant and relatively rare endeavor in the field of media policy research. While comparative studies are often dominated by quantitative surveys, our methodology prioritizes depth over breadth, allowing us to capture the nuanced ways in which people experience the media environment in different national contexts.
Carrying out such a study across multiple countries poses both analytical and logistical challenges: ensuring conceptual consistency while respecting local specificities, managing linguistic and cultural diversity, and coordinating a shared research framework among teams with different traditions and perspectives. Yet, these very challenges are also what make the research so valuable. They allow us to identify common trends across Europe as well as context-specific dynamics, offering a richer understanding of how public perceptions can—and should—inform democratic media governance.
The first findings from this work were presented at the ReMeD conference in Prague this past February, where they sparked meaningful discussions and feedback. And while these early insights are promising, the work is far from over: we are currently in the midst of a rich and complex data analysis process, with much more to uncover in the months ahead.
More findings will be shared at two major international conferences:
📍 ICA (International Communication Association) – Denver, June 12–16, 2025
At ICA, MeDeMap will be featured in the panel “Mapping Platforms and European Audiences for Future Democracies”, bringing together different research teams from the project. The session will explore the complexities of regulating digital platforms and analyze both challenges and opportunities—focusing on key topics such as algorithmization, legislation and legislature, and the preservation of democratic principles in the digital environment.
📍 IAMCR (International Association for Media and Communication Research) – Singapore, July 13–17, 2025
At IAMCR, the panel titled “Media, Democracy and Public Perceptions: Insights from Qualitative Research in Ten European Countries” will highlight findings from our focus groups and interviews. The session aims to showcase the theoretical and methodological value of cross-national qualitative research, with a special focus on how public voices can inform democratic media governance.
These events will be key moments to bring citizens’ perspectives into international discussions on media governance. By sharing what people across Europe think and feel about media policy, MeDeMap aims to help build a more inclusive, responsive, and democratic media landscape.
👉 Stay tuned for more insights and upcoming publications as we continue to explore how people shape—and are shaped by—media policy across Europe.