The Grant

The Consolidator Grant is a personal grant of approximately two million euros, supporting academics in establishing themselves as independent research leaders. The Consolidators are part of the European Union's Horizon Europe programme.

The Project

IMMERSE: Can Immersive Narrative Interventions Strengthen Support for Liberal Democracy?

Liberal democracy is under growing pressure. One of the reasons is that public commitment to its core principles is weaker than often assumed. IMMERSE investigates whether support for liberal-democratic principles can be strengthened through immersive narrative interventions – storytelling, live theatre, video games and virtual reality – that engage citizens more deeply than conventional descriptive or argumentative communication. 

Rooduijn’s project will bring together research on democratic citizenship and narrative persuasion to identify which narrative features and communication formats are most effective, and highlights the central role of emotions in strengthening support for liberal democracy. IMMERSE’s findings will offer a new framework for understanding how support for liberal democracy can be fostered and provide educators and policymakers with concrete tools for real-world implementation.