We want to invite you to participate in an expert survey that addresses a key political topic of our time: the future of democracy in the digital age and the rise of authoritarianism. 

The EU research project INNOVADE: Innovative Democracy through Digitalisation https://innovade-democracy.eu/ studies digital democracy. Paderborn University’s INNOVADE research team (led by Christian Fuchs) runs the Futures of Digital Democracy Survey (FDDS): 

https://bit.ly/fdds_1 

https://digital-democracy.net/d/index.php/111849 

Particiation will take about five minutes. 

The goal of the survey is to analyse how digital media experts assess the potential futures of digital society and the Internet and what visions they have for these futures. 

INNOVADE will use the results of the survey as inputs to European Union policy debates on the future of democracy (that is currently being discussed as part of the European Democracy Shield’s goal to strengthen the EU’s democratic resilience, digital autonomy/sovereignty from big tech, etc.). 

The survey has two rounds. In the first round, we ask for basic assessments. In a follow-up round, we report some of the first round results to the participants and ask for further assessments. After the survey’s second round is completed, all data will be published anonymously as an open data set. 

We’d be happy if you were able to participate. The first round is open until 23 February 2026. The second round will take place some time in March or April. 

https://bit.ly/fdds_1 

https://digital-democracy.net/d/index.php/111849 

Below you find some links to research that INNOVADE has already conducted on the topic of digital democracy. 

With kind regards 

Christian Fuchs 

on behalf of the Paderborn University INNOVADE research team 

Relevant INNOVADE reports: 

Christian Fuchs: What is and How Do We Achieve a Resilient Digital Democracy? https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.21988.1 

Christian Fuchs, Joel Museba, Kevin Friesch: White Paper: The Futures of Digital Democracy. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17747936 

Christian Fuchs (Editor) Interdisciplinary Knowledge Base on Digital Democracy. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17079016