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WP 3 Trust in Information
Work Package 3 leader

Gunilla Widén, Åbo Akademi, gunilla.widen@abo.fi, +358 50 4053255

About the Work Package

WP3 will look at trust in information and expert knowledge about migration and integration from two main perspectives. First, we know that informing citizens about migration and integration helps fight prejudices and polarisation. Therefore we will critically examine, a) how trust in this information is developed among citizens, b) to what extent it can influence attitudes towards migration, and c) how we can promote a wide access to reliable information about migration and integration.

Second, we know that migrants need various kinds of both formal and informal information about their integration process. But there are a lot of hidden information barriers that are easily overlooked, but make a major obstacle for efficient integration. The obvious barriers are language or lack of IT skills, while the hidden barriers are cultural, social and emotional, how we navigate the information landscape, how we adapt to a new information infrastructure or cope with information challenges such as information overload, contradicting information, dis- and misinformation etc. We need to better understand the information practices of different groups of migrants and how they affect their trust in information provided by authorities, also to be able to produce information packages and services that take these information practices and behaviors into account.

A participatory approach is important to be able to understand citizens’ perception of migration and integration issues, and the information experiences of migrants. We will mainly work with interviews and workshops, but also initially do a survey among the adult population about their views on trust in expert knowledge and their attitudes towards migrants and integration. What we want to contribute with:

  • A better access to crucial information for migrants to improve their information resilience
  • Policy briefs based on the research findings on the information needs of migrants and on information behaviour of citizens with the aim to influence government information campaigns on migration and integration; 
  • Media Information Literacy (MIL) Handbook for Integration, to be used in formal and informal education; 
  • Improved collaboration between MIL stakeholders, making all aware of the role of MIL to enhance integration
Researchers

Khadijah Kainat, Åbo Akademi University
Hilda Ruokolainen, Åbo Akademi University
Linda Bäckman, Migration Institute of Finland