Does online Civic Education work in the context of terrorism: The case of Burkina Faso

Democracy, the cornerstone of individual rights, liberties, and political participation, faces a growing challenge from resurgent authoritarian ideas, particularly in response to perceived threats such as terrorism. A critical question for democratic proponents is how to strengthen democratic resilience in such contexts. While previous studies have highlighted the importance of civic education in fostering democratic values, even in autocratic environments, little is known about the effectiveness of online civic education in promoting democratic support and rejecting authoritarian alternatives in terrorism-affected regions. This research aims to address these knowledge gaps through online experiments. Participants recruited via social media will be randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: (1) a general civic rights video, (2) a video emphasizing the advantages of democracy in the context of terrorism in general, or (3) a context-specific video tailored to the participant's country. A control group will receive a placebo treatment. Following exposure to the treatment, participants will complete a survey assessing their support for democratic principles and its alternatives, pro-democratic behavior, and policy preferences. We hypothesize that civic education tailored to the specific context of terrorism threats will have a more pronounced effect on promoting democratic values and rejecting authoritarian alternatives. In addition to the main findings, we expect the CE treatment to have the greatest impact on respondents with dispositions (emotions, personal experiences) that allow them to be more receptive to new information. We expect the CE treatment to have a positive and stronger effect on individuals high in anxiety and low in anger; and those who experienced terrorism (directly or indirectly) or live closer to the terrorist attack’s location. This study will contribute to a growing body of literature on the role of civic education in strengthening democratic resilience, particularly in challenging environments, such as terrorism. Research questions: 1. Does online civic education work in a terrorism context? 2. And which frame works best? 3. How do individual dispositions (emotions, personal experience with terrorism) affect the effectiveness of these interventions?