About the study
POV: Election Campaign is part of the overarching research project How to sell Democracy Online (fast) and was conducted in cooperation with Das Progressive Zentrum and the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
The study analyzes over 18,000 short videos posted by parties and politicians of the 20th German Bundestag on Instagram and TikTok between January 1 and February 23, 2025. It examines the communication styles, modes of address, recurring topics, and tones used during the peak phase of the election campaign. In addition, it highlights both platform-specific and party-typical patterns in digital campaigning.
A key finding: Parties and politicians strategically leveraged TikTok and Instagram to engage young voters and encourage political participation in the latest election campaign. However, the study also reveals that much of the potential for platform-specific communication remains untapped. Future campaigns have considerable room for improvement in tailoring their strategies to the unique dynamics of each platform.
For more information on our ongoing research into political communication on social media, click here (German only).
