New pilot study to strengthen resilience against malign information influence

Information influence from authoritarian states is a growing threat to democratic societies. Through misleading narratives, foreign actors seek to undermine trust in institutions and create division. Researchers at the Swedish Defence University have now been awarded SEK 1.5 million by the Hamrin Foundation to develop new ways of understanding and countering information influence.

The field of narrative and information influence has grown rapidly in recent years. The new pilot study aims to scale up and broaden the research in the long term.

“By combining analysis of information influence with an understanding of vulnerabilities and the development of countermeasures, we can help strengthen democracy. Our ambition is that the research should not only serve experts but also reach the wider public and make a real difference”, says Charlotte Wagnsson, Professor of political science at the Swedish Defence University and project manager for the study.

A fundamental principle of democracy

A functioning democracy relies on citizens having access to reliable information and being able to take part in public debate.

"When strategic narratives are used to spread disinformation and polarisation, these risks undermining the very notion of truth,” says Charlotte Wagnsson.

In research, the concept malign information influence (MII) is used to describe this type of manipulation. Russian state-controlled media platforms such as RT and Sputnik are clear examples, but recent developments in American strategic communication have also shown how rapidly harmful messages can have serious consequences.

Focus on threats, vulnerabilities and countermeasures

For several years, Charlotte Wagnsson has studied who spreads harmful narratives, what effects they have, and how countermeasures can be designed. Her findings show that vulnerabilities vary between individuals and groups, and that some countermeasures risk creating unintended side effects.

“Not all countermeasures are wholly positive. Too much focus on warning about disinformation can, for example, lead to excessive scepticism and reduced trust even in reliable media. That is why we must find methods that strengthen resilience without undermining democracy”, she explains.

Together with colleagues, she has developed a model with five main types of countermeasures – ranging from censorship and platform regulation to softer measures such as media literacy training and support for quality journalism.

New web platform to be tested

A central part of the pilot project will be the development of a web platform with educational material for the public. Research findings will be made available in various formats – from texts to short video clips – while also being used to test the effectiveness of different countermeasures in practice.

“The pilot project is a first step. We want to see what works best in real-world environments and for different target groups. This could mean text-based education for adults or short videos aimed at younger users. The aim is to generate knowledge that can be directly applied to build resilience against information influence,” says Aino Lilja Petterson, Postdoc in political science at the Swedish Defence University, who is also working on the project.

The pilot project is funded by the Hamrin Foundation and will run for two years starting in 2026.