Deliverable 10.1 of the UNTWIST project: Summary of Findings (WP10)

This document represents the first version of the deliverable and is subject to review and approval by the European Commission. Following this process, and once any revisions deemed necessary have been duly incorporated, an updated version of the deliverable will be submitted and made available accordingly.

This Summary of Findings is the main deliverable outcome of Work Package 10
(WP10) of the UNTWIST project. The aim of WP10 is to explore how online media
tools can be harnessed to effectively communicate gender-based needs1. The
resulting policy recommendations and communication guidelines are designed based
on the findings generated by the UNTWIST project with the goal to empower
democratic actors to counter violent and reactionary messages and better
communicate their proposals. In doing so, the WP contributes to General Objective 3
(GO3) – co-developing policy recommendations that enhance gender representation
and reduce the appeal of extremist populism – and Specific Objective 3 (SO3), by
developing political communication strategies that broaden the reach and impact of
inclusive policies. To do this, WP10 builds on a double approach combining a literature
review conducted between March and September 2025 and a workshop with seven
experts conducted on October 2025.

The report outlines and contextualizes the methodology and analytical approach, as
well as the consecutive findings of WP10, which led to the formulation of 15 policy
recommendations and communication guidelines divided into four broader sections
(Communication and Language; Platforms and Actors; Political Context;
Scientific/Political Communication – see Section 6). The recommendations are
targeted towards members of the EP as well as transnational civil society organizations
and media outlets, and can be summarized into several levels of action.

1. European Governance and Parliamentary Efforts
WP10 findings on this level point to a need to increase pressure to reform platform
design and governance to support democratic communication. Policymakers
should be aware of the central role digital platforms play in facilitating far-right political
communication and should use their regulatory and institutional leverage to provide a
more even playing field in social media communication. Importantly, previous
UNTWIST findings show that initial voter attraction to right-wing populist parties
(RWPPs) is driven less by gender identity discourses than by perceived and
experienced material grievances and unmet needs, which are often gendered but not
articulated in identity-based terms. Against this backdrop, the findings of this report
also emphasize a need for political campaigns as well as media coverage to avoid
mirroring or reproducing far-right messaging – on gender-based needs and
beyond – as the literature shows that doing so tends to reinforce rather than weaken
right-wing populist actors’ (RWPAs) communicative reach, while obscuring the material
concerns that democratic alternatives could more effectively address.

2. Institutional Efforts at the International Level
The results from WP10 suggest a need for institutional support to strengthen
democratic actors’ understanding of platform mechanisms. This can be done
through internal capacity-building trainings for political and media teams on
interpretation of local political climates and contexts which shape the success of
political communication tools. Implementers should also make sure to act in line with
legal and institutional frameworks to ensure democratic values and standards in
online environments. Further, the communication of evidence-based scientific findings
should be structurally embedded within institutional practices and mandates, rather
than relying primarily on time-limited project funding, in order to ensure continuity,
sustainability, and long-term engagement with citizens. Institutions funding research
on high-risk topics need to also ensure researcher safety and institutional support.
Lastly, the results from WP10 also emphasize the need to go beyond online strategies
and better integrate interdisciplinary and intersectional online and offline efforts to
advance better representation of gender-based needs.

3. Strategic Democratic Messaging on Gender-Based Needs
WP10 provides several recommendations that should inform the compilation and
strategic use of online political messaging around gender-based needs. These
recommendations are relevant for communicators from high-level politics to media and
civil society organizations. WP10 finds that messages should be accessible and
aligned with democratic values. They should make use of recipients’ affective reactions
strategically but without mirroring right-wing populist strategies that tend to charge
gender-based needs with moral or negatively loaded affective associations. Rather,
messages should be grounded in scientific evidence and communicated through
positive affective associations. To do so, WP10 results recommend making sure
content is adjusted to local political contextual needs, responds to contextualized
media debates and issues and – most importantly – responds to specific gender-based
needs in particular policy fields (ranging from health, education to security). To assess
needs, stakeholders are encouraged to draw on the resources from the UNTWIST
projects’ previous work packages, as well as on the forthcoming Policy
Recommendation Handbook (D11.7), which provides a structured and accessible
overview of the project’s findings for non-academic audiences. In combination, these
policy recommendations and communication guidelines enable democratic actors
to more effectively promote gender equality and inclusivity in online environments.