Predicting user engagement with anti-gender, homophobic and sexist social media posts – a choice-based conjoint study in Hungary and Germany

Social media are used by populist radical right parties for anti-gender campaigns to mobilize against the ‘gender ideology’. Anti-gender hate speech targets women, sexual minorities, and feminist activists and therefore poses a threat to their participation in society. In this study, we examine the engagement with anti-gender hate speech on social media in Germany and Hungary, using anti-gender, homophobic, and sexist Facebook posts as examples. These countries were chosen because of the cultural differences in the way gender issues and discrimination are dealt with, as well as the position of populist radical right parties. Employing a choice-based conjoint design, we analyze which content and source characteristics as well as cultural and individual factors influence users’ engagement with such postings. Findings show country differences in the acceptance (likes, shares) and disapproval (flagging behavior) of anti-gender hate speech but also with respect to relevance of the three main topics of hate speech (anti-gender, homophobia, sexism).