Mikey Pasek
@mikeypasek.bsky.social
Assistant professor of social psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago. I study identity-based division and how to reduce it, with a focus on ethno-religious conflict. Cinnabon enthusiast. michaelhpasek.com
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
New preprint with @jayvanbavel.bsky.social: Novel social identities shape belief in true and false information
In 3 exps (N = 1,459) we randomly assigned people to one of two novel groups. People trusted (and then believed claims more from) their in-group
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Thread 🧵
In 3 exps (N = 1,459) we randomly assigned people to one of two novel groups. People trusted (and then believed claims more from) their in-group
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Thread 🧵
osf.io
February 18, 2026 at 9:25 PM
New preprint with @jayvanbavel.bsky.social: Novel social identities shape belief in true and false information
In 3 exps (N = 1,459) we randomly assigned people to one of two novel groups. People trusted (and then believed claims more from) their in-group
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Thread 🧵
In 3 exps (N = 1,459) we randomly assigned people to one of two novel groups. People trusted (and then believed claims more from) their in-group
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Thread 🧵
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
PRRI new data: 70% of Christian nationalist adherents approve of concentration camps for immigrants can be held until deportation.
February 17, 2026 at 7:25 PM
PRRI new data: 70% of Christian nationalist adherents approve of concentration camps for immigrants can be held until deportation.
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
We must speak plainly about the agenda Elon Musk & other MAGA leaders are pushing. It’s white nationalism.
There’s no room for Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native, Jewish or all other Americans in Musk’s monocultural vision.
Multiculturalism is superior. We can’t allow Musk & others to end it.
There’s no room for Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native, Jewish or all other Americans in Musk’s monocultural vision.
Multiculturalism is superior. We can’t allow Musk & others to end it.
February 15, 2026 at 2:51 PM
We must speak plainly about the agenda Elon Musk & other MAGA leaders are pushing. It’s white nationalism.
There’s no room for Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native, Jewish or all other Americans in Musk’s monocultural vision.
Multiculturalism is superior. We can’t allow Musk & others to end it.
There’s no room for Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native, Jewish or all other Americans in Musk’s monocultural vision.
Multiculturalism is superior. We can’t allow Musk & others to end it.
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
Trump and his goons pushed out (or didn't replace) more than 10,000 federal government STEM Ph.D.s since he took office, representing 106,636 years of federal work experience. www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office
A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies
www.science.org
February 14, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Trump and his goons pushed out (or didn't replace) more than 10,000 federal government STEM Ph.D.s since he took office, representing 106,636 years of federal work experience. www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
Anti-vaccine sentiment is going to kill and impoverish quality of life not only in the U.S., but the world.
“Moderna’s CEO announced the company will no longer invest in new Phase 3 vaccine trials for infectious diseases: ‘You cannot make a return on investment if you don’t have access to the U.S. market.’ Vaccines for Epstein-Barr virus, herpes, and shingles have been shelved.”
Moderna chief: Company won’t invest in new late-stage vaccine trials
Moderna has already been facing declines in sales after a boom during the COVID-19 pandemic.
www.cidrap.umn.edu
February 13, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Anti-vaccine sentiment is going to kill and impoverish quality of life not only in the U.S., but the world.
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
📊 Sometimes belonging comes down to a checkbox. Our new paper in PSPB led by Brenda Straka finds that the way Latino identity is formatted on demo forms, especially the traditional two-question census format, can subtly undermine feelings of inclusion and belonging
news.illinois.edu/study-demogr...
news.illinois.edu/study-demogr...
Study: Demographic forms can undermine sense of belonging in Latino Americans – News Bureau
news.illinois.edu
February 13, 2026 at 2:25 PM
📊 Sometimes belonging comes down to a checkbox. Our new paper in PSPB led by Brenda Straka finds that the way Latino identity is formatted on demo forms, especially the traditional two-question census format, can subtly undermine feelings of inclusion and belonging
news.illinois.edu/study-demogr...
news.illinois.edu/study-demogr...
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
(Mic check 1-2-3)
I'm on the job market🚨
I’m a social psychologist building computational models to study social cognition, attitudes, polarization, and how people update beliefs.
Evidence accumulation models, Hierarchical Bayes, Agent-based models, NLP, etc.
Interested in formal theorizing!
I'm on the job market🚨
I’m a social psychologist building computational models to study social cognition, attitudes, polarization, and how people update beliefs.
Evidence accumulation models, Hierarchical Bayes, Agent-based models, NLP, etc.
Interested in formal theorizing!
February 12, 2026 at 7:00 AM
(Mic check 1-2-3)
I'm on the job market🚨
I’m a social psychologist building computational models to study social cognition, attitudes, polarization, and how people update beliefs.
Evidence accumulation models, Hierarchical Bayes, Agent-based models, NLP, etc.
Interested in formal theorizing!
I'm on the job market🚨
I’m a social psychologist building computational models to study social cognition, attitudes, polarization, and how people update beliefs.
Evidence accumulation models, Hierarchical Bayes, Agent-based models, NLP, etc.
Interested in formal theorizing!
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
Postdoc position!
Myself and @jordanaxt.bsky.social are seeking applications for a shared post-doctoral researcher at McGill, beginning Fall 2026.
Topic area broadly centered on intergroup dynamics, prejudice, discrimination
Full description here: hehmanlab.org/ad
1/2
Myself and @jordanaxt.bsky.social are seeking applications for a shared post-doctoral researcher at McGill, beginning Fall 2026.
Topic area broadly centered on intergroup dynamics, prejudice, discrimination
Full description here: hehmanlab.org/ad
1/2
ad
hehmanlab.org
February 11, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Postdoc position!
Myself and @jordanaxt.bsky.social are seeking applications for a shared post-doctoral researcher at McGill, beginning Fall 2026.
Topic area broadly centered on intergroup dynamics, prejudice, discrimination
Full description here: hehmanlab.org/ad
1/2
Myself and @jordanaxt.bsky.social are seeking applications for a shared post-doctoral researcher at McGill, beginning Fall 2026.
Topic area broadly centered on intergroup dynamics, prejudice, discrimination
Full description here: hehmanlab.org/ad
1/2
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
NEW: “CBS Evening News” producer Alicia Hastey sends a bombshell farewell note:
Stories are “evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations.”
Stories are “evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations.”
February 12, 2026 at 3:22 AM
NEW: “CBS Evening News” producer Alicia Hastey sends a bombshell farewell note:
Stories are “evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations.”
Stories are “evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations.”
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
Note the repeated references to fertility and how all women are to blame for declining fertility “because they are getting educated.” He recommends the be sent to “the breeding gulags.”
www.mediamatters.org/nick-fuentes...
www.mediamatters.org/nick-fuentes...
Nick Fuentes: “The number one political enemy in America is women. … They have to be imprisoned.”
www.mediamatters.org
February 12, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Note the repeated references to fertility and how all women are to blame for declining fertility “because they are getting educated.” He recommends the be sent to “the breeding gulags.”
www.mediamatters.org/nick-fuentes...
www.mediamatters.org/nick-fuentes...
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
this is a level of complicity that had not occurred to me
Gallup will no longer measure presidential approval after 88 years thehill.com/homenews/med...
February 11, 2026 at 7:28 PM
this is a level of complicity that had not occurred to me
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
The purpose is to disincentivize investments in vaccine development
NEW: The F.D.A. refused to accept an application from Moderna for its mRNA flu vaccine.
Its reason: The agency did not think Moderna compared the new vaccine to one of the best flu shots available. The company spent $750M+ on a 41,000 person study.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/h...
Its reason: The agency did not think Moderna compared the new vaccine to one of the best flu shots available. The company spent $750M+ on a 41,000 person study.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/h...
F.D.A. Refuses to Review Moderna Flu Vaccine
www.nytimes.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:34 PM
The purpose is to disincentivize investments in vaccine development
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
Friends from Minneapolis reporting to me that things are at the point where folks are being hidden in other people's houses and we are in the "again" part of "never again" which the "never" was supposed to preclude
February 10, 2026 at 10:54 PM
Friends from Minneapolis reporting to me that things are at the point where folks are being hidden in other people's houses and we are in the "again" part of "never again" which the "never" was supposed to preclude
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
About 10 years ago, I set out to better understand the drivers of radicalization and deradicalization into white supremacy. Work from our endeavors is starting to come out, and I am no longer concerned about sharing it.
I want to share the findings from one of these studies, published last March. 🧵
I want to share the findings from one of these studies, published last March. 🧵
February 10, 2026 at 7:39 PM
About 10 years ago, I set out to better understand the drivers of radicalization and deradicalization into white supremacy. Work from our endeavors is starting to come out, and I am no longer concerned about sharing it.
I want to share the findings from one of these studies, published last March. 🧵
I want to share the findings from one of these studies, published last March. 🧵
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
2025 #ThrowBackPaper (open access): In (Western) Europe, #Islamophobia is closely linked to #farright attitudes. But both are unrelated to religiosity 📄🔁📊
Islamophobia in Western Europe is unrelated to religiosity but highly correlated with far right attitudes - Kai Arzheimer, 2025
The far right’s relationship with religion has become a major focus of current research. Even in Western Europe, one of the most rapidly secularising areas of t...
journals.sagepub.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:35 PM
2025 #ThrowBackPaper (open access): In (Western) Europe, #Islamophobia is closely linked to #farright attitudes. But both are unrelated to religiosity 📄🔁📊
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
Blatantly impeachable offenses.
February 7, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Blatantly impeachable offenses.
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
MAGA: “I ain’t watching the halftime show!!!! I’m watching the pro-family TPUSA one headlined by KID ROCK MAGAAA!!!!”
Kid Rock song:
“ladies, young ladies, I like 'em underage, see. Some say that's statutory (but I say that's mandatory)”
Kid Rock song:
“ladies, young ladies, I like 'em underage, see. Some say that's statutory (but I say that's mandatory)”
February 8, 2026 at 2:12 AM
MAGA: “I ain’t watching the halftime show!!!! I’m watching the pro-family TPUSA one headlined by KID ROCK MAGAAA!!!!”
Kid Rock song:
“ladies, young ladies, I like 'em underage, see. Some say that's statutory (but I say that's mandatory)”
Kid Rock song:
“ladies, young ladies, I like 'em underage, see. Some say that's statutory (but I say that's mandatory)”
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
Thrilled to share our latest paper, out now in Science Advances! We explored the development of cooperative behaviors — fairness, trustworthiness, forgiveness, & honesty — across five societies, culturally contextualizing them & seeing how they correlate. (1/5) www.science.org/doi/full/10....
February 7, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Thrilled to share our latest paper, out now in Science Advances! We explored the development of cooperative behaviors — fairness, trustworthiness, forgiveness, & honesty — across five societies, culturally contextualizing them & seeing how they correlate. (1/5) www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
ICE told nurses this Minneapolis man “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.”
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
February 7, 2026 at 5:54 PM
ICE told nurses this Minneapolis man “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.”
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
Today seems like a nice day to re-up @leahchristiani.bsky.social 's excellent research on when white people approve of blatantly racist political messages. Not sure what made me think of it today, but anyway.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
When are Explicit Racial Appeals Accepted? Examining the Role of Racial Status Threat - Political Behavior
Evidence has emerged demonstrating that whites no longer reject negative, explicit racial appeals as they had in the past. This seeming reversal of the traditional logic of the powerlessness of explic...
link.springer.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Today seems like a nice day to re-up @leahchristiani.bsky.social 's excellent research on when white people approve of blatantly racist political messages. Not sure what made me think of it today, but anyway.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
1. It was not an accident.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
February 6, 2026 at 5:42 PM
1. It was not an accident.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
Dozens of articles yesterday reported on Trump's rambling, profane remarks at National Prayer Breakfast. But I was only 1 to cover the more dangerous #ChristianNationalist remarks by Pete Hegseth: publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/at-nationa...
At National Prayer Breakfast, Hegseth Says US Soldiers Gain Salvation by Dying for ‘Christian Nation’
While Trump's remarks dominate the headlines about the event, more concerning Christian Nationalist comments came a few minutes later.
publicwitness.wordandway.org
February 6, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Dozens of articles yesterday reported on Trump's rambling, profane remarks at National Prayer Breakfast. But I was only 1 to cover the more dangerous #ChristianNationalist remarks by Pete Hegseth: publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/at-nationa...
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
A national embarrassment.
May our press, congress, and GOP wake up from this fever dream and get us back on track toward responsible governance that protects life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for everyone.
May our press, congress, and GOP wake up from this fever dream and get us back on track toward responsible governance that protects life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for everyone.
A screenshot from a video posted on Trump's Truth Social account: truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
February 6, 2026 at 11:37 AM
A national embarrassment.
May our press, congress, and GOP wake up from this fever dream and get us back on track toward responsible governance that protects life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for everyone.
May our press, congress, and GOP wake up from this fever dream and get us back on track toward responsible governance that protects life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for everyone.
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
McGill is hiring a faculty lecturer in social psychology, in a (non-adjunct) permanent teaching position.
Please consider being my colleague, Montreal is really great: mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...
Please consider being my colleague, Montreal is really great: mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...
Faculty Lecturer - Department of Psychology
Please refer to the How to Apply for a Job (for External Candidates) job aid for instructions on how to apply. If you are an active McGill employee (ie: currently in an active contract or position at ...
mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:36 PM
McGill is hiring a faculty lecturer in social psychology, in a (non-adjunct) permanent teaching position.
Please consider being my colleague, Montreal is really great: mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...
Please consider being my colleague, Montreal is really great: mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...
Reposted by Mikey Pasek
INBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.
February 4, 2026 at 5:11 PM
INBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.