The research environment Communication, Defense Willingness and Democratic Resilience is located at Campus Helsingborg with funding of SEK 3 million over three years. The initiative includes researchers at the Department of Communication, the School of Economics and the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology. The focus is on developing knowledge about the link between communication strategies within civil defence and the ability of public institutions and citizens to withstand internal and external threats and stresses.
"We see defence willingness and democratic resilience as two closely related concepts," says Nils Gustafsson, one of the research environment's project leaders. "Defence willingness is about the will to protect a democratic and free society. Maintaining a strong defence in a democratic country requires a broad understanding of total defence in all parts of the population."
Total defence is all the activity needed to prepare Sweden for war. The government is responsible for total defence, which includes all people 16-70 years old who reside in Sweden.
Focus on gender and children's perspectives
A particular focus of the research is on gender and children's perspectives, areas that are often overlooked both in public debate and in academic research.
"In the first phase, we examine how defence communication affects young target groups and how young people relate to military service and the idea of defending Sweden in war," says the research environment's other project leader, Cecilia Cassinger. "What are their perceptions of war and defence, and what are they prepared to defend? These questions are crucial to understanding their defence willingness and their confidence in total defence and NATO."
"We will develop tools and methods that strengthen citizens’ participation and resilience in a complex communication landscape," adds project coordinator Isabelle Karlsson. "An important part of this work is to create strategies to increase the defence willingness among groups where trust in total defence is low. At the same time, we want to promote a critical understanding of defence communication and its consequences for young target groups.
Project Participants
The research initiative includes prominent researchers from Lund University, among others:
- Johan Anselmsson, Professor of Business Administration with a focus on branding, School of Economics
- Alicia Fjällhed, Researcher at the Swedish Defence Research Agency
- Elsa Hedling, Associate Professor at the Centre for European Studies, The Joint Faculty of Humanities and Theology
- James Pamment, Associate Professor of Strategic Communication and Director of the Psychological Defence Research Institute
- Emil Stjernholm, Associate Professor of Media and Communication Studies, Department of Communication
International collaborations and affiliated researchers from all over the world will help to further strengthen the research environment.
