From Double-Taps to Deep Divides? : Understanding the Relationship between Political Engagement  on TikTok and Perceived Polarization

Abstract: This paper aims to investigate the relationship between political engagement on TikTok and the perceived levels of polarization among first-time voters in Sweden. Since there are many ways to engage with political content on TikTok, a distinction has been made between passive engagement and active engagement with political content on TikTok. On this basis, the two research questions that this thesis intends to address are: RQ1: How does passive political engagement on TikTok relate to Swedish first-time voters’ perception on the level of polarization in Sweden? RQ2: How does active political engagement on TikTok relate to Swedish first-time voters’ perception on the level of polarization in Sweden? With the foundation in previous literature and theoretical concepts, the hypotheses of the study expected there to be a positive relationship between political engagement in TikTok and perceived polarization, with active engagement expected to have a stronger effect than passive engagement. To investigate the relationship, an online survey was conducted in April 2023 with 106 respondents and the data was later presented in a OLS regression. The results found no support for the formulated hypotheses, as there was no statistically significant relationship for either active or passive engagement on TikTok and perceived polarization. Instead the analysis suggests that political placement and engagement with political news in traditional media are found to be linked to perceived polarization.