Roderik Rekker

I'm over the moon and truly humbled that NWO has funded my Vidi application on 'Factual belief polarization and its Attitudinal Consequences.' With a postdoc and a PhD student, I will examine how Western Europeans are divided in their beliefs about reality and when this matters.

(5/5) This study highlights the close connection between populist voting, science skepticism, and political discontent. Trust in science may, therefore, benefit from any effective strategy to restore political support among the most discontented citizens.

(4/5) Second, populist parties have incited political discontent among their sympathizers, which in turn became a breeding ground for science skepticism. Third, the increasing anti-scientific rhetoric of populists has directly fueled science skepticism among their electorate.

(1/5) Out now in @ActaPolitica: Populist parties increasingly target scientists and scientific knowledge. By analyzing 15 ]waves of panel data from the Netherlands, I examine to what extent populist parties fuel science skepticism among their supporters. link.springer.com/article/10.105…

The cat below just underwent another expensive surgery, and his owner still very much needs help. If you’d like to make a big difference for someone with a small contribution, please consider donating.

Job alert! Hiring two postdoctoral researchers at the intersection of political psychology, science communication, and survey methodology: -One for my Vidi project on factual belief polarization -One for my starting grant on the politicization of science ru.nl/en/working-at/…

Tip voor iedereen die met een kleine bijdrage een groot verschil voor iemand wil maken: Deze kat is inmiddels geopereerd, maar de rekening moet nog worden betaald en zijn eigenaars – een Oekraïense dienstplichtige en zijn moeder – hebben daarbij nog steeds hulp nodig.

Unusual request from me today: Someone in my extended friend circle was recently drafted into the Ukrainian military. His cat—now living with his mother in the UK—urgently needs surgery. Please consider a small donation. 🙏 gofund.me/2e38033f

(1/8) I’m very excited to share this new publication in @SciPublic. Citizens’ trust in science increasingly depends on their political leaning. In a theoretical article published in 2021, I proposed a four-level model for this ‘science polarization.' doi.org/10.1177/096366…

@ESS_Survey @_PEtErT @katyaoivanova (8/8) Overall, this study indicates that research on science skepticism should carefully consider all four levels of generalization and their interplay.

@ESS_Survey @_PEtErT @katyaoivanova (7/8) The four-level model also exposed ideological symmetries largely undetected in observational studies: Right-wingers more often distrust science as a whole, but once this is accounted for, left- and right-wingers similarly distrust ideology-incongruent fields and claims.

(2/2) I will keep this account (at least for a while) and may occasionally post here, but if you want to follow me, please find me at @roderikrekker.bsky.social.

(1/2) I am going to follow this example. Elon Musk is currently one of democracy’s greatest enemies, and he has bought this platform solely to increase his influence and spread disinformation. I cannot, in good conscience, remain here. From now on, I will focus on Bluesky.