Puncturing the Propaganda Bubble: Can Russians Learn to Recognize Propaganda During the War?
In autocracies like Russia, state-controlled media reflect the political agenda of those in power, yet citizens often remain unaware of this influence. This talk presents findings from a six-week online experiment in Russia, exploring how increased attention to political reporting patterns affects citizens’ media perceptions, interest in independent news sources, and political views. The results indicate that greater awareness enhances media literacy, boosts interest in alternative news, and reduces support for the regime. However, habitual consumption and political preferences sustain citizens’ reliance on state media. Even so, critically engaging with reporting strategies changes how citizens interpret propaganda, highlighting both the potential and limitations of media literacy in authoritarian contexts.
Georgiy Syunyaev is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University. His research integrates survey and field experiments as well as formal theory methods to explore citizen responses to media in autocratic regimes, autocratic policymaking with an emphasis on decentralization, and the role of propaganda in regime survival, particularly in Russia and other Post-Soviet countries. Prior to Vanderbilt, Georgiy held positions at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB), J-PAL Global, the International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development at HSE University, the Harriman Institute, and the World Bank’s Development Group.