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European Journal of Political Research

May 2, 2025

Coalition governments reduce partisan animosity — but only if they perform well 

Jochem Vanagt Jochem Vanagt and Markus Kollberg show that coalition governments bring voters of different parties closer together only if people believe those coalitions are doing a good job. When voters think coalitions are performing badly, partisan hostility remains high. Their insights have significant implications for efforts to reduce affective polarisation Read more
April 15, 2025

How welfare policy affects immigration attitudes

Alina Vrânceanu Social policies shape public opinions on immigration. A study by Alina Vrânceanu and Bilyana Petrova shows that in Western Europe, generous welfare systems – perhaps counterintuitively – make natives more favourably inclined toward immigrants. Cutting benefits risks exacerbating anti-immigrant sentiment. These research findings have important implications for social conflict in modern capitalist democracies Read more
January 15, 2025

System trust is key to explaining Covid-19 attitudes and behaviours

Louise Halberg Nielsen During the Covid-19 pandemic, many citizens put full faith in 'the system' to keep them safe. Others were inherently mistrustful. Louise Halberg Nielsen argues that such trust, or the lack of it, was a key source of pandemic-era political disagreement. Her research findings could help societies navigate future collective crises more effectively Read more
January 2, 2025

How voter availability shapes parties’ policy priorities

Fabian Habersack Political parties often adjust their policies to address emerging issues, or to attract — or regain — support. However, warns Fabian Habersack, such strategic pivots carry significant risks, especially if parties misjudge their electoral potential Read more
November 26, 2024

The gender gap in campaign financing: an uphill struggle

Laura Sudulich Women are not a demographic minority, but they are certainly still a minority in politics. Laura Sudulich, Siim Trumm, and Iakovos Makropoulos show that a significant gender resource gap continues to be a feature of contemporary parliamentary campaigns. Women face an uphill battle to get elected Read more
November 18, 2024

UK voters support reforms to make parliament more family friendly

Jessica Smith Parliaments often overlook MPs' family needs, and this poses challenges for recruiting and retaining diverse politicians. Yet, argues Jessica Smith, recent research in the UK reveals that voters don’t penalise MPs for taking parental leave; indeed, women MPs even gain more support as mothers. Read more
October 10, 2024

Why governments want to learn about citizens’ preferences

Anja Durovic Democratic governments conduct extensive public opinion research, but we know little about how they use it. When and why do they seek to find out what the public thinks? Opening the black box of government polling in Germany, Anja Durovic and Tinette Schnatterer find governments exploit polls in a highly strategic way. Read more
June 14, 2024

Fresh evidence of how news media set the agenda on immigration

João Miguel de Carvalho The media is not a neutral actor in immigration debates. It shapes how much we think about immigration but not our positions towards it, write João Carvalho, Mariana Carmo Duarte and Didier Ruedin Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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