More social media, stronger regressive views? When gender equality is opposed (and when it is not) in Europe

This paper examines the relationship between social media use and gender equality attitudes in Europe, using a survey dataset from six countries (France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain) in 2021. By combining research on societal conflicts, gender equality, and social media use, we show that extensive use of social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram) is significantly linked to regressive gender equality attitudes. The survey assesses gender equality in the labor market, LGBT rights, and perceptions of feminists. Linear regressions reveal that intense social media usage is associated with more regressive attitudes on these issues. We apply manifold sensitivity checks and demonstrate that our results remain robust against various model specifications. We discuss potential reasons why intense social media usage may trigger resentments against gender equality in Europe.