A timely and urgent report that captures the disturbing reality of toxicity infiltrating democratic institutions.
Key Findings
- 100% of surveyed UK parliamentarians report experiencing online trolling.
- 800% increase in harassment of Canadian MPs from 2019-2023.
- 2x women parliamentarians face twice the trolling of their male counterparts.
- 6-15% greater algorithmic amplification for right-leaning political content.
- 22% of Americans expressed trust in government in 2024, a historic low.
- 19% of cases involve harassment of parliamentarians’ family members.
Policy Recommendations
The report provides a comprehensive roadmap for protecting democracy in the digital age. Key policy recommendations center on four pillars:
1. Regulatory Frameworks
Establish legal frameworks with transparency requirements and rapid response mechanisms for electoral periods.
2. Platform Accountability
Mandate human oversight for political content and require independent algorithmic auditing to ensure fairness.
3. Participant Protection
Create specialized threat assessment centers and provide mental health support for politicians and their families.
4. Technological Solutions
Mandate friction mechanisms to slow viral spread and offer users control over their algorithmic feeds.
Meet the Author
Aşkım Ezo Barol
I’m Aşkım, a Chevening Scholar with a Master’s in International Political Communication. My work focuses on strategic communication, political campaigning, and cross cultural election studies, with a broader interest in policy impact and cultural diplomacy.
This project matters to me as a Turkish citizen living through democratic strain and limited parliamentary responsiveness. I wanted to place our experience in a global frame: to compare patterns across countries and separate what is universal from what is context-specific. The research maps how trolling and coordinated manipulation reshape parliamentary language, degrade public discourse, and deter participation-especially for women politicians, who face disproportionate abuse.
The Future of Democratic Discourse is at Stake
Parliamentary discourse has undergone a fundamental transformation in the digital age, with social media platforms creating unprecedented opportunities for trolling language to infiltrate and damage democratic communication. This policy paper examines the global manifestation of this phenomenon across eight democratic nations and provides comprehensive recommendations for addressing what has become a critical threat to democratic institutions. Download the full report to explore actionable solutions and policy recommendations that protect democratic communication for generations to come.
