Elizabeth Simon
elizabethsim0n.bsky.social
Elizabeth Simon
@elizabethsim0n.bsky.social
Political socialisation, attitudinal formation & electoral behaviour.
Lecturer in Politics at the University of Exeter.
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
For the Guardian, @turnbulldugarte.com and I discuss our research that clearly shows one thing: Labour's anti-immigration strategy will only strengthen Reform and weaken its own electoral prospects. It won't win voters back but ultimately normalizes the far right

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Our research makes it clear: by capitulating to the right, Labour is driving voters to Reform UK | Tarik Abou-Chadi and Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte
Mimicking Farage on immigration is senseless. Labour voters feel betrayed; anti-immigration voters see through the ruse, say academics Tarik Abou-Chadi and Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte
www.theguardian.com
September 26, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
What is the liberalizing potential of higher education? In this @bjsociology.bsky.social research, we show substantial variation in the association between field of study and anti-immigrant sentiment — a pattern most pronounced among those with tertiary degrees doi.org/10.1111/1468...
September 22, 2025 at 6:55 PM
From today onwards, you can find me as a Lecturer in Politics at the beautiful University of Exeter @exeterspspa.bsky.social!

Couldn't be a better time to start with EPOP coming up. Looking forward to catching up with old friends and (hopefully!) making some new ones later this week!
September 1, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
The London Mayoralty is 25 this year. As a birthday present, the Mile End Institute asked Londoners whether they feel politically empowered.

In short, no. But why? For @theconversation.com, @elizabethsim0n.bsky.social and I dig into the clashing explanations.

theconversation.com/its-25-years...
It’s 25 years since London got a mayor – and our polling reveals discontent
Even though the position is now coveted by politicians, Londoners don’t feel their mayors are delivering.
theconversation.com
August 22, 2025 at 1:10 PM
After a fantastic few years, I'll soon be leaving @qmpoliticsir.bsky.social and the @mileendinstitute.bsky.social.

I've been surrounded by inspiring and generous colleagues, had lots of time and freedom to pursue my own research agenda, and had the pleasure of running the Polling London project.
August 6, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
He always looks so worried. Perhaps he should be. Did this for The Standard off the back of @mileendinstitute.bsky.social's fab London polling.
London isn't a Labour city any more — the three key questions that new polling raises
“London is a Labour city” was always something of an exaggeration but it’s even more misleading today than it has been for quite a while. Polling just released by the Mile End Institute (MEI) at Queen...
www.standard.co.uk
June 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
New @mileendinstitute.bsky.social and @savanta.bsky.social polling out today shows that a quarter of Londoners who voted Labour in the 2024 GE would not do so again if there was a GE tomorrow - with Labour losing voters to parties on the right and left in roughly equal measure in the capital
Sir Keir Starmer’s party is on 32% - an 11 point drop since the general election last July, according to the new poll
Labour 'sheds votes' in London to Reform, Tories, Lib Dems and Greens, new poll shows
www.standard.co.uk
June 24, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
New piece by @zoecrowther.bsky.social in @politicshome.bsky.social covering some of our ongoing research (w/ @karlpike.bsky.social @philipjcowley.bsky.social) into voters' time horizons and its implications for the current UK government's "politics of patience":

www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Public Expects To See Improvements In NHS, Education And Housing Before The Next General Election
The public expects to see tangible improvements in this Parliament in the NHS, schools and housing, according to new polling.
www.politicshome.com
June 20, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
What better way to spend this sunny day than signing up to hear @timbale.bsky.social, @rmcunliffe.bsky.social and me discussing the state of the Conservative Party this coming Monday?
www.qmul.ac.uk/mei/events/m...
Does the Conservative Party have a future?
www.qmul.ac.uk
June 19, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
I may mention this, occasionally, over the next few months.
The Smallest Room in the House
The best politics “loo” book you will ever buy! Based on Philip Cowley’s fascinating column in The House magazine, this is a book perfect for multiple sittings, discussing the politi...
www.bitebackpublishing.com
June 12, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
NEW -

Family Matters: How Concerns about the Financial Wellbeing of Young Relatives Shape the Political Preferences of Older Adults - cup.org/3Gny1bz

- @zackgp94.bsky.social, @profjanegreen.bsky.social & Geoffrey Evans

#OpenAccess
April 24, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
In the latest issue of @cpsjournal.bsky.social, my article with Jonne Kamphorst in which we propose that educationally homogeneous social networks contribute to the stabilization of political conflict on the cultural dimension. A short thread on the main findings:

Link: doi.org/10.1177/0010...
April 22, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
NEW -

Does the Accumulation of Assets Shape Voting Preferences? Evidence from a Longitudinal Study in Britain - cup.org/42JWcZl

- Justin Robinson, @pavlosvas1.bsky.social & @sofiavasilopoulou.bsky.social

#OpenAccess
April 8, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
4/6 🧵 In @thejop.bsky.social@elizabethsim0n.bsky.social & @turnbulldugarte.com do a meta-analysis of role of candidate education in conjoint experiments. More educated candidates preferred by all, but more so by more educated respondents, suggesting a possible in-group bias https://doi.org/pft8
April 3, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
A bump for this in case you missed it the other week...

Any suggestions for my and @elizabethsim0n.bsky.social's meta-analysis much appreciated!
📣 CALLING ALL QUANT SOCIAL SCIENTISTS! 📣

Do you know of causally identified research that estimates the effect of higher education on political attitudes?

@elizabethsim0n.bsky.social and I are currently working on a meta-analysis on this question and we need your help!
March 31, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
📣 CALLING ALL QUANT SOCIAL SCIENTISTS! 📣

Do you know of causally identified research that estimates the effect of higher education on political attitudes?

@elizabethsim0n.bsky.social and I are currently working on a meta-analysis on this question and we need your help!
March 20, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
My article with @robjohns75.bsky.social, "Hope, Optimism, and Expectations for the Political Future", is now out open access at @polbehavior.bsky.social.

It's about the psychology of expecting good things to happen in politics.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Hope, Optimism, and Expectations for the Political Future - Political Behavior
Expectations of what the future holds are a significant driver of political behavior. It is therefore important to understand the sources of those expectations. In this paper, we explore the psycholog...
link.springer.com
March 14, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Do we systematically prefer educated candidates? Or do educational groups select in ways that reward their own?

This article by @turnbulldugarte.com and I suggests the answers are yes, and yes - but only for the graduate group.

Huge thanks to all who shared their data with us!
"Education as Identity? A Meta-Analysis of Education-Based In-Group Preferences in Candidate Choice Experiments" by Elizabeth Simon and Stuart J. Turnbull-Dugarte.https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/730745
March 11, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
🚨 EPOP 2025 Call for papers now open! 🚨

Please fill out this form before the end of April to submit your paper proposal forms.office.com/e/4wBNMq4qwi

Accepting presentations on all aspects of elections, public opinion and parties using all methods.
Microsoft Forms
forms.office.com
February 27, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
The poisoning of minds through Higher Education, huh?

www.politicshome.com/thehouse/art...
The Professor Will See You Now
In an occasional series, Professor Philip Cowley offers a political science lesson for The House readers. Here: the graduate voter. Illustration by...
www.politicshome.com
February 17, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
Our paper on global trends in trust is online! Led by @viktorv.bsky.social we use >3k surveys from ~50 projects in 143 countries, the paper provides a framework for understanding changes in trust and:

(1) Trust in representative institutions is in decline
(2) but stable in implementing institutions
NEW -

A Crisis of Political Trust? Global Trends in Institutional Trust from 1958 to 2019 - cup.org/4gCcLuT

- @viktorv.bsky.social, @drjennings.bsky.social, Gerry Stoker, @hannahbunting.bsky.social, @danjdevine.bsky.social, @lawrencemckay.bsky.social & Andrew Klassen

#OpenAccess
February 12, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
What do you think the government's average *actual* majority in the House of Commons has been...?

inews.co.uk/news/politic...
Starmer has a 'bigger majority than Blair' thanks to splintered opposition
Until the opposition groups can agree to join forces, any rebellion by unhappy Labour MPs is likely to be doomed, research shows
inews.co.uk
February 10, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Simon
Happy to share first paper of 2025!

With @danjdevine.bsky.social we show that there are sig. distinctions in how resps. derive the class of MPs compared to regular folks

We look at this in a conjoint that also randomized resps. into different information environments

doi.org/10.1080/0140...
January 14, 2025 at 11:53 AM