1. Conspiracy beliefs in post-communist Europe : the role of religiosity, political ideology, and media trust among unvaccinated individualsKatarzyna Bałandynowicz-Panfil, Malgorzata Łosiewicz, Ana Slavec, Janez Štebe, Șerban Olah, Győző Pék, Adrienn Kaszás-Nagy, Mojca Šoštarič, Magdalena Iwanowska, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: This study explores the sociocultural and psycho ‑ logical determinants of conspiracy theory beliefs (CTBs) among unvaccinated individuals in three post-communist countries: Poland, Romania, and Slovenia. The goal is to understand how religiosity, political orientation, media trust, and fear of COVID-19 shape conspiratorial thinking in societies with legacies of institutional distrust and ideological polarization. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The central research problem concerns the contextual drivers of CTBs in post-communist Eu ‑ rope, where transitional experiences challenge universal explanatory models. The study draws on data from an online survey of 1,641 unvaccinated individuals collected in 2021. Key constructs-including conspiracy beliefs, trust in institutions and media, religiosity, and political orientation-were measured using validated scales and analyzed through multiple regression models. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The argument integrates histori ‑ cal and structural factors with individual-level predictors of CTBs. It distinguishes between private religiosity and religious practice, analyzes media trust in frag ‑ mented information environments, and contextualizes political ideology within the region’s post-authoritarian trajectories. The analysis emphasizes how fear, belief, and epistemic orientation intersect in shaping vaccine-related conspiracies. RESEARCH RESULTS: Findings indicate that higher private religiosity, left-wing political orientation, low fear of COVID-19, and reliance on digital or informal information sources are positively associated with CTBs. In contrast, trust in traditional media, trust in medical professionals, and participation in organized religious practices predict lower endorsement of conspiracies. Slovenia and Poland show the highest CTB levels. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: CTBs in post-communist societies reflect both historical legacies and current epistemic vulnerabilities. Addressing them requires context-sensitive strategies that rebuild institutional trust, support civic engagement, and recognize the social functions of structured belief systems. The study contributes to a better understanding of misinformation dynamics in transitional democracies.
Keywords: conspiracy theories, religiosity, political ideology, media trust, post-communist Europe
Published in RUP: 05.05.2026; Views: 102; Downloads: 6
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2. Prompt to press : evaluating human perception of AI involvement in news writing across prompt specificityUroš Sergaš, Ahmadou Wagne, Thomas Elmar Kolb, Julia Neidhardt, Bruce Ferwerda, Marko Tkalčič, 2026, published scientific conference contribution Abstract: Large language models (LLMs) are becoming a common feature in content creation tools, prompting important questions about how design choices influence user trust and engagement in AI- assisted journalism. Beyond output quality, factors such as prompt specificity, model choice, and authorship disclosure are themselves interaction design parameters that influence how users interpret and evaluate AI contributions. Yet, little is known about how these design decisions affect reader perceptions in journalistic contexts. To address this gap, we conducted an experiment with 150 participants who evaluated news articles on the sensitive topic of assisted suicide. The articles systematically varied in authorship (human-written, AI-edited, or AI-generated), stance (pro- or anti- legalization), and prompt specificity (vague, moderate, or highly detailed). Participants rated each article on engagement, subjectivity, and perceived AI involvement, and also provided open-ended justifications for their authorship judgments. Our findings show that prompt specificity and model choice significantly influence perceptions of authorship, underscoring how technical design decisions in AI tools can shape public trust in journalism.
Keywords: AI-generated news, prompt specificity, human vs. AI detection, media perception, assisted suicide
Published in RUP: 24.03.2026; Views: 396; Downloads: 17
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3. From Views to Potential Behaviours : The Role of Travel Vlogs and Digital Nudging in Croatian Coastal TourismLidija Nujić Pečenec, original scientific article Abstract: This study investigates how travel vloggers potentially influence tourist behaviour through digital nudging, focusing on four Croatian coastal cities: Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, and Šibenik. Using qualitative thematic analysis of a purposive sample of English-language YouTube travel vlogs, the research addresses three questions: (1) the types of problems vloggers encounter at the destination, (2) the advice they offer and how it may function as digital nudging, and (3) their motivations for content creation. Findings show that vloggers frequently report issues such as overcrowding, noise, and high prices, often framing these as experiential warnings. Their advice, ranging from strategies to avoid crowds to promoting cultural awareness, could function as informal behavioural guidance. Identified nudging techniques include simplification, framing, priming, loss aversion, and the messenger effect. Vloggers are motivated by audience growth and channel promotion, financial incentives, and informative intent. The study contributes to the growing field of digital nudging by highlighting the potential role of vloggers as informal behavioural influencers in tourism. It bridges behavioural science, tourism studies, and digital media research, showing how peer-generated content on digital platforms could subtly shape tourist behaviour. Practically, the findings suggest that collaboration with vloggers could offer destination management organizations (DMOs) and tourism professionals a scalable, cost-effective method to promote sustainable and culturally sensitive travel behaviours. By embedding incentives in authentic, understandable content, destinations may indirectly address challenges such as overtourism and environmental degradation.
Keywords: digital nudging, tourism, social media vlogs, tourist behaviour
Published in RUP: 06.03.2026; Views: 285; Downloads: 16
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4. Responsible reporting on suicide in Slovenia : are we there yet?Vanja Gomboc, Diego De Leo, Vita Poštuvan, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Exposure to media reporting on suicide can be both a risk and a protective factor, as (ir)responsible reporting on suicide can have different effects on vulnerable people. Since online media are increasingly important in everyday life, this study aimed to examine how the three most widely read Slovenian online media report on suicide. 114 online media articles published between 1 January and 31 December 2017 were included in the study and assessed for compliance with recommendations on responsible media reporting on suicide, and inclusion of harmful and protective characteristics. Different articles included or adhered to different recommendations, and harmful and protective characteristics. The correlation between compliance with recommendations, and the inclusion of protective and harmful characteristics suggests that although articles comply with recommendations, they do not necessarily contain enough protective information. The study confirms patterns observed in other studies while providing a first insight into Slovenian online media reporting on suicide. Further research is needed to confirm our findings while considering different online media. Additionally, future studies should focus on other aspects of reporting on suicide, e.g., comments under online media articles, which might also impact readers.
Keywords: media, suicide, reporting
Published in RUP: 16.01.2026; Views: 416; Downloads: 3
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