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"Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people." We as citizens are at the core of democracy, and every day we are - maybe unconsciously - benefitting from living in a democracy. That includes, for example, freedom of political affiliation, being allowed to engage in political action, and freedom of speech. Historically, there have never been more countries self-identifying as a democracy than today, and yet democracies are losing the support and trust of their citizens. In the United Kingdom, voter turnout, trust in politicians and democratic institutions as well as satisfaction with democracy have been declining steadily since the 1950s. Today about half of UK citizens are not satisfied with the way democracy works. At the same time, a rise in political violence with physical and verbal attacks against elected politicians or political outgroups occurs. This trend are damaging for the functioning of democracy and social cohesion. In this talk, Rebekka will share findings about individuals’ motivation to engage in political violence from a social psychological perspective. Specifically, she will discuss how people feel about democracy, what they value about democracy and the implications for society.


Drop-ins are still welcome, but we recommend booking in advance.

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About the speaker

Dr. Rebekka Kesberg joined the University of Sussex as a postdoctoral researcher in October 2020 to work with Dr Matthew J. Easterbrook in the EU Horizon 2020 funded project 'Understanding and Addressing Polarization in European Democracies' (UNDPOLAR; https://www.undpolar.org/). Within the project her research focused on threat perceptions and their association with voting behavior and political attitudes like populism. After the project ended, she moved on to work at the University of Amsterdam with Prof. Liza Mügge. Within the PUSH*BACK*LASH project, her work focuses on anti-gender movements and the narratives they spread on social media to create threat perceptions and mobilize followers. In April 2024, she returned to the University of Sussex as Principal Investigator in her ESRC funded project 'Valuing Democracy: The Role of Democracy as a Superordinate Identity in the Justification of Political Violence'. The project explores how citizens in the UK feel about democracy and the extent to which they perceive being a democrat as central to their identity. It investigate boundary conditions under which people justify violent behavior against political opponents and aims to test interventions to strenghten citizens support of democratic governance across political divides. She completed her PhD at Ulm University (Germany) in February 2021 which focused on how human values shape perception and behavior.

About Sussex Universe

Sussex Universe is the public lecture series from the science schools at the University of Sussex. Lectures take place every two weeks during the Autumn and Spring teaching semesters. The lectures are completely free to attend and are accessible to a broad audience with no background knowledge.

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