Abstract
Why do young people participate in politics more in one context than in another? This fundamental question is at the core of this study. It is best addressed with a comparative design, as comparative research guides our attention to the explanatory relevance of the contextual environment for communication outcomes. Comparative research aims to understand how differences in the macro-level context shape individual communication behaviors differentially. Any attempt to systematically link macro-level system conditions and micro-level communication behaviors is an important step towards explanatory research. From a comparative perspective, it is thus important to recognize that communication processes might be shaped by factors of systemic context.
Kunz, Ruth