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Description
The project aims to improve the culture surrounding political discourse and support critical and thought-through voter behavior. As the first step, the project aims to push voters to critically ask the question “why” in varying situations concerning political debates and societally important topics. The second step offers voters a broad range of opportunities to improve their theoretical knowledge of governance and politically relevant issues and provides them with practical directions on improving critical thinking and analysis skills. A media campaign will be launched featuring short and memorable videos that showcase different daily situations in which asking “why” can benefit the voter. Also, interactive material will be designed that helps voters to develop skills necessary for analyzing political content. Policy center Praxis, a project partner, will analyze issues relevant to the current political climate to provide voters with a starting point when navigating politics. A special focus will be put on young and future voters to improve their critical thinking and analytical skills. The aim of these activities is to increase the level of political debate and the use of well-founded claims rather than demagoguery. An additional goal is to increase mutual understanding and listening skills in everyday political discussions to constrain the already high levels of societal polarization.
Summary of project results
The project stemmed from the goal of fostering Estonia’s democratic culture, particularly in the context of pre-election public debate. Its objective was to encourage voters to pay closer attention to the content of election promises, adopt a more critical and analytical approach to societal discussions, and ultimately make more informed choices.
In today''s polarized society, young people''s voter turnout and interest in elections remain low. Their voting behavior is often influenced by parents or schools, yet schools do not sufficiently focus on developing practical, essential skills. Young individuals who become disillusioned with politics at an early age lack neutral sources and spaces for discussion during election campaigns. The spread of demagoguery, misinformation, social media-driven news consumption, and pre-election populism further complicates decision-making, especially for those without strong critical thinking and analytical skills. This decline in critical thinking abilities is also reflected in PISA test results.
These considerations formed the basis for defining the project''s goals and activities. The project aimed, first, to highlight the quality of election promises during the pre-election debate period and to encourage politicians to provide justifications and explanations for their proposals. Secondly, it sought to create accessible content for voters to help them analyze election promises and make informed decisions. Thirdly, the project aimed to develop training materials and educational resources to influence young voters'' behavior—both through workshops during these elections and through long-term initiatives such as educational materials and information sessions for teachers.
The primary objective of these activities was to positively influence voter behavior by supporting critical analysis and promoting well-informed decision-making.
The following activities were carried out during the project:
Media Campaign
As part of the campaign, six videos were created featuring a well-known actor who demonstrated, through short scenarios, the types of questions voters should ask about election promises. This content was distributed both on social media and as television advertisements. Additionally, simpler infographics were created and shared through the "Tark Valija" social media channels, including topic analyses, debate analyses, and content answering "what, why, how" questions posed by political parties.
The campaign can be considered a success. With the support of TV commercials, the campaign reached over 75,000 people, and through social media, it reached over 40,000 people. Furthermore, the project team visited Terevisioon and various radio stations and wrote 14 election debate analyses for ERR and Delfi.
Praxise analysts, in collaboration with partners, published 24 pieces of content in various formats, aimed at providing voters with information on substantive topics to consider when following election promises and debates. These analyses were available on the "Tark Valija" website and shared through its social media channels as well as those of its partners.
Additionally, in collaboration with Delfi, project team published the "what, why, how" papers from political parties, where the parties analyzed their own promises through these questions.
These activities helped introduce fact-based and/or analyzed content into the societal discussion, thereby fulfilling their purpose.
Content Supporting Informed Choices
On the "Tark Valija" website, interactive content was created to support asking the "what, why, how" questions. The website reached approximately 5,200 people. This content was also used when preparing educational materials.
Trainings in Schools
31 training sessions were conducted in schools across Estonia, with a total of 605 students trained. The feedback from both participating students and teachers was mostly very positive. Continuous feedback and trainer reflections were monitored, and adjustments to the training plan were made when necessary.
Teacher-Focused Content
As part of the project, a course curriculum titled "Practical Democracy" for high school social studies was created. This course can be offered by schools as an elective or used to fulfill the learning outcomes of two mandatory curriculum courses. The approach was to package various materials in a way that would make them easy to use. The curriculum provides a comprehensive framework through which active citizen competencies can be developed through active learning methods. While creating the curriculum, both existing materials and new lesson plans were utilized. Additionally, informational seminars were held to introduce the "Practical Democracy" course curriculum and the argumentation methods it is largely based on.
The project successfully increased awareness and understanding of the quality of election promises while encouraging critical analysis among voters. The training sessions and educational materials equipped young voters with practical skills, fostering long-term positive voting behavior. The media campaign effectively reached a broad audience, promoting informed decision-making.
The project also has a long-term impact, with the capabilities and materials created being used in the future:
Voter Behavior
Since influencing informed and thoughtful voter behavior is particularly important during a person''s first elections, the entire project logic was built on the idea that a young voter whose behavior is positively influenced will carry that knowledge forward into future elections. Therefore, the impact is not just temporary, but also shapes young voters'' habits for the future.
Development of the “Tark Valija” (Smart Voter) Brand
The “Tark Valija” brand, which was launched during the 2021 local elections, was further developed. This included creating new content, developing the website https://tarkvalija.eu/, and establishing an Instagram account in addition to the existing Facebook page. The stronger the "Tark Valija" brand becomes, the more the Debate Association can continue fulfilling its goals in future elections. The “Tark Valija” campaign will continue during the European Parliament elections in June 2024 and the 2025 local elections.
Activities for Teachers
Both the "Practical Democracy" course curriculum and the informational seminars for teachers, along with their promotion, create conditions for ensuring that the project''s impact is not limited to just the individuals who participated in the activities, but that its results will be used in the future. The developed curriculum also consolidated various previous materials, repackaging them in line with the goals of this specific project. The Debate Association plans to continue actively distributing the curriculum, meaning that promotional activities will not end with the conclusion of this project.
Estonian Debate Association’s Capacity
In recent years, the Debate Association has clearly defined its activities around election periods, aiming to establish itself as an expert in pre-election public debate with every subsequent election. The "Tark Valija" campaign has provided an opportunity to transform the Debate Association’s previously irregular and often voluntary activities into a sustainable and goal-oriented initiative.
The Debate Association also sought to increase its visibility in schools and build relationships that would foster the development of argumentation and critical thinking education. The training sessions conducted in schools gave the team an opportunity to reach a wider group of young people and engage actively with schools to create more in-depth opportunities for supporting the development of critical thinking and argumentation skills within the school environment.