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A Silent Decision is not a Good Decision: A qualitative study researching how young Swedish citizens make sense of possible regulations of fossil fuel advertising

Rohlsson, Cornelia LU (2022) SKOM12 20221
Department of Strategic Communication
Abstract
A debate in the EU and Sweden is ongoing on whether advertising of fossil fuels is to be banned. Some state that banning fossil fuel advertising is one step in the right direction toward a more sustainable world. In contrast, others say that the prohibition of communication channels prevents consumers from intake transparent communication, especially in a democratic country. This study problematizes the lack of communication and understanding about advertising of essential topics and highlights the stakeholder perspective. The study aims to provide new insights about the role of advertising in society by researching how Swedish citizens make sense of possible regulations of fossil fuel advertising through 15 interviews with young Swedish... (More)
A debate in the EU and Sweden is ongoing on whether advertising of fossil fuels is to be banned. Some state that banning fossil fuel advertising is one step in the right direction toward a more sustainable world. In contrast, others say that the prohibition of communication channels prevents consumers from intake transparent communication, especially in a democratic country. This study problematizes the lack of communication and understanding about advertising of essential topics and highlights the stakeholder perspective. The study aims to provide new insights about the role of advertising in society by researching how Swedish citizens make sense of possible regulations of fossil fuel advertising through 15 interviews with young Swedish citizens. Two themes emerged from these interviews: (1) Politicians should decide, and (2) People should decide. The results are analyzed together with the sensemaking theory and previous research. The analysis shows that the interviewees make sense of the question in very different ways as they have different societal roles. They give meaning to it by both (1) having faith in that politicians make the best decisions for us, whereas transparency matters as a shared meaning creation. And (2) through the freedom to choose for oneself as it brings a sense of control and because people are wise enough to make their own decisions. Commonly, they made sense of the issue with the help of democratic values and the importance of transparency because of the constitutions and free democracy. (Less)
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author
Rohlsson, Cornelia LU
supervisor
organization
course
SKOM12 20221
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Advertising, Fossil fuels, Sensemaking, Transparent communication, Democracy, Climate impact
language
English
id
9084461
date added to LUP
2022-06-27 14:23:11
date last changed
2022-06-27 14:23:11
@misc{9084461,
  abstract     = {{A debate in the EU and Sweden is ongoing on whether advertising of fossil fuels is to be banned. Some state that banning fossil fuel advertising is one step in the right direction toward a more sustainable world. In contrast, others say that the prohibition of communication channels prevents consumers from intake transparent communication, especially in a democratic country. This study problematizes the lack of communication and understanding about advertising of essential topics and highlights the stakeholder perspective. The study aims to provide new insights about the role of advertising in society by researching how Swedish citizens make sense of possible regulations of fossil fuel advertising through 15 interviews with young Swedish citizens. Two themes emerged from these interviews: (1) Politicians should decide, and (2) People should decide. The results are analyzed together with the sensemaking theory and previous research. The analysis shows that the interviewees make sense of the question in very different ways as they have different societal roles. They give meaning to it by both (1) having faith in that politicians make the best decisions for us, whereas transparency matters as a shared meaning creation. And (2) through the freedom to choose for oneself as it brings a sense of control and because people are wise enough to make their own decisions. Commonly, they made sense of the issue with the help of democratic values and the importance of transparency because of the constitutions and free democracy.}},
  author       = {{Rohlsson, Cornelia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{A Silent Decision is not a Good Decision: A qualitative study researching how young Swedish citizens make sense of possible regulations of fossil fuel advertising}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}