Lars Erik Berntzen
@leberntzen.bsky.social
Associate Professor, Department of Government, University of Bergen 🇧🇻 | activism, norms, political violence
Pinned
Do Americans judge acts of partisan political violence impartially? No. We show that Democrats and Republicans exhibit clear partisan bias: both see the same violent act as more justified when it targets the other party than when it targets their own side.
osf.io/preprints/so...
#polisky
osf.io/preprints/so...
#polisky
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
Each week, about 12 people are killed in homicides in England and Wales. But who is most likely to be killed?
This thread summarises what we know about who is most likely to be a victim of homicide.
🧵
This thread summarises what we know about who is most likely to be a victim of homicide.
🧵
January 27, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Each week, about 12 people are killed in homicides in England and Wales. But who is most likely to be killed?
This thread summarises what we know about who is most likely to be a victim of homicide.
🧵
This thread summarises what we know about who is most likely to be a victim of homicide.
🧵
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
Our first joint article with the PhD researchers of my research group @rexklima.bsky.social has just been published! 🎉
"Explaining Attitudes Towards #Climate #Action in Germany: AfD vs. the Greens, the East vs. the West, Wind vs. Solar Energy" is now out.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... (1/4)
"Explaining Attitudes Towards #Climate #Action in Germany: AfD vs. the Greens, the East vs. the West, Wind vs. Solar Energy" is now out.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... (1/4)
Explaining Attitudes Towards Climate Action in Germany: AfD vs. the Greens, the East vs. the West, Wind vs. Solar Energy
This article analyses the drivers of individual-level support for – and opposition to – renewable energy in general, as well as wind and solar power specifically. We focus on the crucial case of Ge...
www.tandfonline.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:48 AM
Our first joint article with the PhD researchers of my research group @rexklima.bsky.social has just been published! 🎉
"Explaining Attitudes Towards #Climate #Action in Germany: AfD vs. the Greens, the East vs. the West, Wind vs. Solar Energy" is now out.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... (1/4)
"Explaining Attitudes Towards #Climate #Action in Germany: AfD vs. the Greens, the East vs. the West, Wind vs. Solar Energy" is now out.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... (1/4)
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
🧵New preprint: Adults often agree with their ingroup even when evidence says otherwise. Why?
To find out, we studied kids, who show the same tendency but *before* political identities take hold. With developmental data, we can see the basic psychological ingredients.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
1/11
To find out, we studied kids, who show the same tendency but *before* political identities take hold. With developmental data, we can see the basic psychological ingredients.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
1/11
OSF
doi.org
January 6, 2026 at 3:03 PM
🧵New preprint: Adults often agree with their ingroup even when evidence says otherwise. Why?
To find out, we studied kids, who show the same tendency but *before* political identities take hold. With developmental data, we can see the basic psychological ingredients.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
1/11
To find out, we studied kids, who show the same tendency but *before* political identities take hold. With developmental data, we can see the basic psychological ingredients.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
1/11
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
Do Americans judge acts of partisan political violence impartially? No. We show that Democrats and Republicans exhibit clear partisan bias: both see the same violent act as more justified when it targets the other party than when it targets their own side.
osf.io/preprints/so...
#polisky
osf.io/preprints/so...
#polisky
November 24, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Do Americans judge acts of partisan political violence impartially? No. We show that Democrats and Republicans exhibit clear partisan bias: both see the same violent act as more justified when it targets the other party than when it targets their own side.
osf.io/preprints/so...
#polisky
osf.io/preprints/so...
#polisky
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
December 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
New publication with @turnbulldugarte.com in @psrm.bsky.social! 🧵
We study whether citizens’ liberal values are selective: do people support policies based on who promotes them?
Short answer: Yes, and it's driven by ethnic out-group disidentification. (1/11) 👇
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
We study whether citizens’ liberal values are selective: do people support policies based on who promotes them?
Short answer: Yes, and it's driven by ethnic out-group disidentification. (1/11) 👇
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
December 19, 2025 at 12:47 PM
New publication with @turnbulldugarte.com in @psrm.bsky.social! 🧵
We study whether citizens’ liberal values are selective: do people support policies based on who promotes them?
Short answer: Yes, and it's driven by ethnic out-group disidentification. (1/11) 👇
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
We study whether citizens’ liberal values are selective: do people support policies based on who promotes them?
Short answer: Yes, and it's driven by ethnic out-group disidentification. (1/11) 👇
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
Interested in pursuing a career in climate governance, policy or politics research? Do you have a relevant PhD degree in political science, public administration or international relations? Then you should check out this opportunity!
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science (3-4 years) (291366) | University of Oslo
Job title: Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science (3-4 years) (291366), Employer: University of Oslo, Deadline: Friday, February 6, 2026
www.jobbnorge.no
December 17, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Interested in pursuing a career in climate governance, policy or politics research? Do you have a relevant PhD degree in political science, public administration or international relations? Then you should check out this opportunity!
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
I maintain that this is an excellent benchmark for d-type effect sizes:
Sleep satisfaction & duration declined with childbirth & reached a nadir during the first 3 months postpartum, with women more strongly affected (satisfaction d = -0.79, duration minus 62 min, d = -0.90)>
Sleep satisfaction & duration declined with childbirth & reached a nadir during the first 3 months postpartum, with women more strongly affected (satisfaction d = -0.79, duration minus 62 min, d = -0.90)>
Long-term effects of pregnancy and childbirth on sleep satisfaction and duration of first-time and experienced mothers and fathers
AbstractStudy Objectives. To examine the changes in mothers’ and fathers’ sleep satisfaction and sleep duration across prepregnancy, pregnancy, and the pos
academic.oup.com
December 9, 2025 at 9:50 AM
I maintain that this is an excellent benchmark for d-type effect sizes:
Sleep satisfaction & duration declined with childbirth & reached a nadir during the first 3 months postpartum, with women more strongly affected (satisfaction d = -0.79, duration minus 62 min, d = -0.90)>
Sleep satisfaction & duration declined with childbirth & reached a nadir during the first 3 months postpartum, with women more strongly affected (satisfaction d = -0.79, duration minus 62 min, d = -0.90)>
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
The 1️⃣article of our 5️⃣0️⃣Anniversary Special Issue "Debating European Politics: Advances and Perspectives" is out!🎉
"The rise of populism and the new cleavage" by Hanspeter Kriesi, describing contemporary populism is likely to be a temporary phenomen.
🔗https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2025.2591874
"The rise of populism and the new cleavage" by Hanspeter Kriesi, describing contemporary populism is likely to be a temporary phenomen.
🔗https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2025.2591874
December 12, 2025 at 2:02 PM
The 1️⃣article of our 5️⃣0️⃣Anniversary Special Issue "Debating European Politics: Advances and Perspectives" is out!🎉
"The rise of populism and the new cleavage" by Hanspeter Kriesi, describing contemporary populism is likely to be a temporary phenomen.
🔗https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2025.2591874
"The rise of populism and the new cleavage" by Hanspeter Kriesi, describing contemporary populism is likely to be a temporary phenomen.
🔗https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2025.2591874
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
From October 2025 -
The Gendered Persistence of Authoritarian Indoctrination - cup.org/3WCwC5v
- Nourhan A. Elsayed, @hannohilbig.bsky.social, @riazsascha.bsky.social & @dziblatt.bsky.social
#OpenAccess
The Gendered Persistence of Authoritarian Indoctrination - cup.org/3WCwC5v
- Nourhan A. Elsayed, @hannohilbig.bsky.social, @riazsascha.bsky.social & @dziblatt.bsky.social
#OpenAccess
December 9, 2025 at 12:40 AM
From October 2025 -
The Gendered Persistence of Authoritarian Indoctrination - cup.org/3WCwC5v
- Nourhan A. Elsayed, @hannohilbig.bsky.social, @riazsascha.bsky.social & @dziblatt.bsky.social
#OpenAccess
The Gendered Persistence of Authoritarian Indoctrination - cup.org/3WCwC5v
- Nourhan A. Elsayed, @hannohilbig.bsky.social, @riazsascha.bsky.social & @dziblatt.bsky.social
#OpenAccess
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
Partisan voters can reward candidates who stick to the party line even on unpopular issues. Under uncertainty, voters infer that ideologically rigid candidates are also more likely to back the party's other, more popular positions academic.oup.com/sf/advance-a...
Why moderate voters choose extreme candidates: voter uncertainty as a driver of elite polarization
Abstract. Representative democracy depends on elected officials reflecting voters’ policy preferences. Yet, US elected officials are more ideologically ext
academic.oup.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Partisan voters can reward candidates who stick to the party line even on unpopular issues. Under uncertainty, voters infer that ideologically rigid candidates are also more likely to back the party's other, more popular positions academic.oup.com/sf/advance-a...
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
A critique of our (w/ @bertous.bsky.social) paper “Instrumentally inclusive” has just been published.
Our response is under review (see below on process) but we feel obliged to share our draft for balance since the comment has been released without the response.
osf.io/rn6h3/files/...
Our response is under review (see below on process) but we feel obliged to share our draft for balance since the comment has been released without the response.
osf.io/rn6h3/files/...
November 29, 2025 at 3:13 PM
A critique of our (w/ @bertous.bsky.social) paper “Instrumentally inclusive” has just been published.
Our response is under review (see below on process) but we feel obliged to share our draft for balance since the comment has been released without the response.
osf.io/rn6h3/files/...
Our response is under review (see below on process) but we feel obliged to share our draft for balance since the comment has been released without the response.
osf.io/rn6h3/files/...
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
New article by @rmuriaas.bsky.social and I: While seniority can benefit all parliamentarians and serve as a powerful resource, it does not confer power equally. Women face structural barriers to accessing seniority, and even when they attain it, their legitimacy and influence remains contested.
Staying Power: Unpacking Seniority as a Gendered Informal Institution in Parliament
Abstract. Political seniority—commonly understood as accumulated parliamentary tenure—is an underexamined informal institution that structures access to po
academic.oup.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:58 AM
New article by @rmuriaas.bsky.social and I: While seniority can benefit all parliamentarians and serve as a powerful resource, it does not confer power equally. Women face structural barriers to accessing seniority, and even when they attain it, their legitimacy and influence remains contested.
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
My new article with @leberntzen.bsky.social out in @scandpolstud.bsky.social!
Can politicians calm conflict as effectively as they can inflame it?
Our experimental evidence from Norway suggests that they cannot.
🧵
Can politicians calm conflict as effectively as they can inflame it?
Our experimental evidence from Norway suggests that they cannot.
🧵
Asymmetric Influence: Politicians Can Fuel but Not Dampen Conflict
Research from the deeply polarized United States suggests that the impact of elite communication is asymmetrical: antagonistic messages often heighten divisions, while positive appeals fail to dampen...
doi.org
December 1, 2025 at 9:41 AM
My new article with @leberntzen.bsky.social out in @scandpolstud.bsky.social!
Can politicians calm conflict as effectively as they can inflame it?
Our experimental evidence from Norway suggests that they cannot.
🧵
Can politicians calm conflict as effectively as they can inflame it?
Our experimental evidence from Norway suggests that they cannot.
🧵
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
„the importance of sample size stemmed from small effect sizes across studies (perhaps smaller than researchers may have anticipated), highlighting a tension between commonly used power calculi and determining what constitutes a “meaningful effect.“
Needed - larger samples, more realism about (the lack of) heterogeneous treatment effects:
-"less than a third of proposed hypotheses were supported... the largest predictor of positive exp. results was sample size"
-"moderation hypotheses were rarely significant"
academic.oup.com/poq/advance-...
-"less than a third of proposed hypotheses were supported... the largest predictor of positive exp. results was sample size"
-"moderation hypotheses were rarely significant"
academic.oup.com/poq/advance-...
An Audit of Social Science Survey Experiments
Abstract. Survey experiments have become a popular methodology for causal inference across the social sciences. We study the efficacy of survey experiment
academic.oup.com
November 30, 2025 at 3:57 PM
„the importance of sample size stemmed from small effect sizes across studies (perhaps smaller than researchers may have anticipated), highlighting a tension between commonly used power calculi and determining what constitutes a “meaningful effect.“
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
Thrilled to share my new article in Political Psychology: “The psychology of political attitudinal volatility.” In it, I attempt to answer why do some people change their political views more than others? Open access at: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
@ispp-pops.bsky.social
@ispp-pops.bsky.social
November 25, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Thrilled to share my new article in Political Psychology: “The psychology of political attitudinal volatility.” In it, I attempt to answer why do some people change their political views more than others? Open access at: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
@ispp-pops.bsky.social
@ispp-pops.bsky.social
Do Americans judge acts of partisan political violence impartially? No. We show that Democrats and Republicans exhibit clear partisan bias: both see the same violent act as more justified when it targets the other party than when it targets their own side.
osf.io/preprints/so...
#polisky
osf.io/preprints/so...
#polisky
November 24, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Do Americans judge acts of partisan political violence impartially? No. We show that Democrats and Republicans exhibit clear partisan bias: both see the same violent act as more justified when it targets the other party than when it targets their own side.
osf.io/preprints/so...
#polisky
osf.io/preprints/so...
#polisky
New article with @draege.bsky.social out in Scandinavian Political Studies: “Asymmetric Influence: Politicians Can Fuel but Not Dampen Conflict.” We test whether politicians in one of the world’s least polarized democracies, Norway, can calm conflict as effectively as they can inflame it. #polisky
Asymmetric Influence: Politicians Can Fuel but Not Dampen Conflict
Research from the deeply polarized United States suggests that the impact of elite communication is asymmetrical: antagonistic messages often heighten divisions, while positive appeals fail to dampen...
dx.doi.org
November 24, 2025 at 7:42 AM
New article with @draege.bsky.social out in Scandinavian Political Studies: “Asymmetric Influence: Politicians Can Fuel but Not Dampen Conflict.” We test whether politicians in one of the world’s least polarized democracies, Norway, can calm conflict as effectively as they can inflame it. #polisky
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
On average across traits, the three methods produced remarkably similar estimates of ~30%. Most (~85%) of this variance could already be estimated by common variant GWAS run on the same samples. Strikingly, classical twin estimates for these traits were ~2x higher!
November 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
On average across traits, the three methods produced remarkably similar estimates of ~30%. Most (~85%) of this variance could already be estimated by common variant GWAS run on the same samples. Strikingly, classical twin estimates for these traits were ~2x higher!
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
An important rule of politics is that all formal institutions—all laws, all procedural rules, all constitutions—are just informal institutions in disguise. The minute they are not actually backed by behavior of some kind, they cease to exist. Formalization only sets a higher bar for ignoring them.
November 17, 2025 at 7:46 PM
An important rule of politics is that all formal institutions—all laws, all procedural rules, all constitutions—are just informal institutions in disguise. The minute they are not actually backed by behavior of some kind, they cease to exist. Formalization only sets a higher bar for ignoring them.
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
🚨 New paper with Maria Grasso on generational shifts in political values. Despite talk of rising age polarisation, we show that gaps in attitudes are stable or even narrowing. Economic attitudes move in cycles, while social values have become more liberal – mainly due to generational replacement.
Political Socialisation in the UK: Describing Generational Changes of Values - International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society
A growing bulk of research examines intergenerational shifts in attitudes and the extent to which they are attributable to new cohorts of voters being socialised under different socioeconomic and cult...
link.springer.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:29 AM
🚨 New paper with Maria Grasso on generational shifts in political values. Despite talk of rising age polarisation, we show that gaps in attitudes are stable or even narrowing. Economic attitudes move in cycles, while social values have become more liberal – mainly due to generational replacement.
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
New research explores why openness/intellect stands apart from other personality traits. It turns out this trait may be less universal across cultures and rarely targeted for change.
Read more in #PSPR: ow.ly/UGlJ50XqLqS
Read more in #PSPR: ow.ly/UGlJ50XqLqS
November 13, 2025 at 9:59 PM
New research explores why openness/intellect stands apart from other personality traits. It turns out this trait may be less universal across cultures and rarely targeted for change.
Read more in #PSPR: ow.ly/UGlJ50XqLqS
Read more in #PSPR: ow.ly/UGlJ50XqLqS
Reposted by Lars Erik Berntzen
Our @apsrjournal.bsky.social article is now in print! We develop a theory to explain why the public doesn't become more prosocial toward LGBTQ+ people after illegitimate anti-LGBTQ+ violence and provide causal, externally valid, evidence for the theory across 4 studies doi.org/10.1017/S000...
November 13, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Our @apsrjournal.bsky.social article is now in print! We develop a theory to explain why the public doesn't become more prosocial toward LGBTQ+ people after illegitimate anti-LGBTQ+ violence and provide causal, externally valid, evidence for the theory across 4 studies doi.org/10.1017/S000...