Conference paper
The Politics of Disengagement: Understanding Political News Avoidance in Global Contexts
Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, 76th (Cape Town, South Africa, 04-Jun-2026–08-Jun-2026)
2026
Abstract
In an era of increasing democratic fragility and global political turbulence, understanding how citizens engage with or avoid political news is crucial. This research examines the role of socio-political contexts in political news avoidance by comparing audience behaviors in Australia's liberal democracy and Singapore's soft authoritarian regime, utilizing focus groups with 64 participants across both countries. Drawing on the findings we develop a conceptual framework that highlights how sociopolitical context influences political news engagement patterns, avoidance types, strategies and drivers, and how audiences may be re-engaged given how they perceive the roles of political news in their lives. Ultimately the study reconceptualizes political news avoidance not as a sign of democratic dysfunction, but as a rational, protective boundary-setting practice. The framework demonstrates that many participants in both countries actively weighed the role of news in their lives and strategically regulated their engagement—minimizing exposure to overwhelming or distressing content while retaining essential awareness of important developments. These findings challenge prevailing assumptions that continuous news consumption is required for informed citizenship, suggesting instead that selective, intentional engagement better supports both individual wellbeing and democratic participation.
Details
- Title
- The Politics of Disengagement: Understanding Political News Avoidance in Global Contexts
- Authors
- Melissa Innes (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative IndustriesRenee Barnes (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
- Conference details
- Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, 76th (Cape Town, South Africa, 04-Jun-2026–08-Jun-2026)
- Grants
- A cross-cultural approach to understanding the motivations to political news avoidance, 0980029912, University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia, Sunshine Coast) - UniSC
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991201151002621
- Output Type
- Conference paper
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