A new study puts a reality check on hopes that the Internet could inspire the growth of democracy in authoritarian countries. A new study of Russian and Ukrainian internet users, co-authored by Associate Professor Erik Nisbet, found that those who were on the Internet primarily to get news and share political options with others were more likely to demand democracy in their countries. Those visiting the web primarily for entertainment were less likely to want more democracy and believed they had more democracy than they actually did.

The results of the study were published in the journal Communication Research and Nisbet appeared on Ann Fisher's All Sides Considered during the Tuesday Tech segment to discuss Internet and democracy.