Democracy in the Digital Age: Media Trust and Civic Perception in Japan and South Korea

Amidst the global crisis of democracy marked by challenges such as the erosion of free and fair‬ ‭ elections and declining trust in institutions and the media, this thesis tests three hypothesis to‬ ‭ analyze the relationship between media usage and democratic satisfaction in Japan and South‬ ‭ Korea. Specifically, it investigates whether the duration of social media use or trust towards an‬ ‭ information channel influences individuals’ satisfaction with democracy.‬ ‭ Drawing on data from the 2018 Asia Barometer Survey, the study explores patterns of‬ ‭ media consumption across various platforms and their association with democratic satisfaction.‬ ‭ The findings suggest that trust in one’s primary information channel, whether it is social media,‬ ‭ television, or newspapers, is a key determinant of democratic satisfaction. Through linear‬ ‭ regression models that interact with trust and media type, the study concludes that the specific‬ ‭ medium of information is less consequential than the level of trust placed in it.‬ ‭