Security threats and fragile commitments:
Stress-testing German support for human rights

DFG-funded project (2023-2026)

This project examines whether, and under what conditions, support for human rights can be strengthened during times of crisis. Drawing on a series of innovative survey experiments conducted with the German adult population, we assess theoretically and empirically whether emphasizing the significance of human rights increases public support. We investigate how the characteristics of the rights holder and individuals’ predispositions toward human rights shape the impact of different arguments in crisis situations.

By testing the malleability of attitudes towards different rights under different scenarios, we generate new insights on which rights are seen as more or less contestable by different societal groups and individuals, using different arguments in support for human rights. Through a combination of survey and experimental methods, we map attitudes to human rights among the German population, test the fragility of these commitments when their universality and unconditionality are contested, and assess whether normative or instrumental arguments can bolster citizens' defence of their basic human rights.

Collaborators

Prof. Dr. Katrin Paula, Technical University Munich, Co-PI
Prof. Dr. Robert Johns, University of Southampton
Dr. Nadine O’Shea, Technical University Munich

Events

26-28 June 2025 Presentation at the European Political Science Association Conference in Madrid
2-5 March 2025 Presentation at the International Studies Association Annual Convention in Chicago
10-12 April 2024 Workshop with Bert Bakker, Anita Gohdes and Neil Mitchell to finalize survey experiments