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The Centre for Social Studies (CES) of the University of Coimbra will coordinate a European project dedicated to studying why authoritarian regimes and discourses are attracting ever-growing numbers of people, and what must be done to counter this trend. Entitled DeAppeal | Deconstructing and Resisting Autocratic Appeal to Revitalise Democracy, the project is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme.

Democracy is under siege. Across the world, populist and authoritarian leaders are eroding institutions from within, normalising practices that run counter to democratic values, and gaining support at a pace that defies straightforward explanation. DeAppeal begins with a simple yet increasingly urgent question: what makes these projects so appealing to so many people? And what needs to be put in place to breathe new life into democracy?

To address these questions, the project brings together a consortium of 11 organisations spread across 11 countries (Brazil, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe), comprising universities, research centres, and communication and civil society organisations. Researchers in sociology, political science, psychology, communication, law, and history will bring together their perspectives on 16 historical and contemporary contexts, inside and outside Europe, to map how authoritarianism grows — and what resistance it encounters.

One of the project's central areas of focus is the digital world. Social media, algorithms, and data surveillance have become powerful instruments — both for amplifying authoritarian messages and for organising opposition to them. DeAppeal seeks to understand how these mechanisms work and how they can be countered.

The project does not, however, confine itself to the laboratory. Its findings will be translated into concrete tools, co-created with citizens, activists, journalists, educators, and policymakers: media literacy workshops, creative laboratories, and pedagogical materials designed to inoculate societies against disinformation and scepticism towards science.

DeAppeal begins on 1 October 2026 and runs for three years. It is coordinated by Cristiano Gianolla, and the CES team includes Giovanni Allegretti, Inês Amaral, Júlia Garraio, Lisete Mónico, Luciana Sotero, and Maria Elena Indelicato