Delia Zollinger

New Publication with @lhaffert.bsky.social in @ejprjournal.bsky.social!

We study the role of generations in the urban-rural divide, which is increasingly shaping the politics of many democracies.

Studying Switzerland, we show: The urban-rural divide is stronger among younger generations. (1/10) 🧵👇

New publication w/ my friend & amazing coauthor @fedetrastulli.bsky.social in @ejprjournal.bsky.social! 🎉

doi.org/10.1017/S147...

We explore: Who considers which political issues as important & how is this related to sociodemographic/socioeconomic variables?

In this new paper, we use open-ended survey questions to study how people perceive (changes in) social hierarchies. 

We show how and among whom status gains of women, ethnic minorities, or LGBTQ+ people are saliently perceived–namely among progressives, not just conservatives!

💡 How does moving to opportunity reshape political behavior?

🗞️ In our new BJPolS paper, @thmskrr.bsky.social and I show that residential relocations that increase access to opportunity foster political integration and shift political preferences to the left.

👉 tinyurl.com/46utjj65

BJPolS Abstract discussing educational attainment, social networks, and political behavior in Germany, the UK, and Switzerland.

NEW -

Educational Networks, Social Closure, and Cleavage Stabilization - https://cup.org/47ifc4B

"we show that educational divides are diminished in the presence of countervailing networks"

- @davidattewell6.bsky.social & @dpzollinger.bsky.social

#OpenAccess

Thank you, Luca 🙏 I also look forward to the next chance to catch up and hear about your current projects!

Excited to have this paper on social networks as a mechanism for cleavage stabilization with @dpzollinger.bsky.social out!

If we have you intrigued, also pairs with (and empirically engages) our theoretical piece on puzzles of contemporary cleavage research:

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

We stress the importance of social structure for polarization along a new cleavage --> policies shaping network segregation matter!

Also see this paper by @jonadejong.bsky.social @jonnekamphorst.bsky.social who come to similar conclusions based on different data/countries. tinyurl.com/47edtwtc

We fielded a survey in UK/DE/CH to study people’s close social ties. We observationally show that educational divides regarding party support, attitudes & identities are moderated by network composition.

Our theoretical argument on networks' stabilizing role links cleavage/social network research.

How are contemporary cleavage structures stabilized in times of declining mass social and political organizations?

In this new paper with @davidattewell6.bsky.social @bjpols.bsky.social, we suggest that homogeneous social (educational) networks provide part of the answer.

tinyurl.com/49cs8jwp

Share widely with your students in Switzerland 🇨🇭thinking about a PhD @eui-eu.bsky.social

𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗘𝗨𝗜 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 🇨🇭
21 Nov 2025 | 2:30pm CET

@alissasiara.bsky.social introduces the program & life at EUI, I share my experience, and we answer your questions.

👉 Register: www.eui.eu/events?id=58...

BJPolS abstract discussing the dynamic between knowledge economy migration and political shifts in Germany, specifically addressing urban versus rural opportunities and its implications on political perspectives and migration trends.

NEW -

Seeking Opportunity in the Knowledge Economy: Moving Places, Moving Politics? - https://cup.org/3LgxVos

"moving to opportunity results in... more left-leaning self-identification, and lower support for far-right parties"

- @valentinaconsiglio.bsky.social & @thmskrr.bsky.social

#OpenAccess

How can we compare the size and structuring power of different cleavages over time? Check out @jacobgunderson.bsky.social 's great paper and dataset for scholars working on cleavages at the party system level!

The latest from @dpzollinger.bsky.social and I's Special Issue in @wepsocial.bsky.social.

Congrats to both of you! 🥳

1st article from my dissertation is out in Perspectives today!!

two takeaways: a) knowledge economy 'winners' may not be subject to status loss but they sure care about status preservation & b) this is consequential for their attitudes re: immigration & diversity.

Thnx 2 all along this journey!!

Fail Better: Why Your Rejections Will Shape You More Than Your Publications The Art of Learning from Rejection

Every academic career is built on rejection, but we don’t show it.

CVs list publications, grants & awards, not rejected manuscripts, unfunded proposals, or failures.

But those invisible rejections shape us more than our successes ever do.

👉 catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/fail-bette...

🧵

JUST OUT: "Boundaries and Cleavages: Elements of a Cultural Sociology of Political Divides."

OA: direct.mit.edu/ecps/article...

It develops what the cultural sociology of group formation can contribute to research on political cleavages.

(And why "Somewheres vs Anywheres" really doesn't cut it.)

Abstract of the article "Updating cleavage theory for the twenty-first century" by Delia Zollinger and David Attewell. Published online first in West European Politics.

💥Out now: The introduction to the Special Issue "Cleavage Politics in Western Democracies"

"Updating cleavage theory for the twenty-first century" by @dpzollinger.bsky.social & @davidattewell6.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1080/0140...

New SI "Cleavage Politics in Western
Democracies" @wepsocial.bsky.social!

If you're interested in transforming social & political divides in advanced democracies, this is for you.

The intro by @davidattewell6.bsky.social & me maps contributions around 3 challenges for contemp. cleavage research.

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

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...

🚨📢 I am hiring a PhD candidate /research assistant in Swiss Politics and/or Comparative Politics (100%)!

🚨📢 Je recrute un·e assistant·e diplômé·e en science politique en politique suisse et comparée!

Please join me @unil.bsky.social, Switzerland!

Thanks for sharing! polisky @sspunil.bsky.social

Ever asked yourself how to detect and extract social groups from texts with computational social science? @haukelicht.bsky.social and me have a solution for you out at @bjpols.bsky.social. You can also find the pre-trained models on huggingface!

Another fantastic piece out in our "Cleavage Politics in Western Democracies" special issue! (co-edited with @davidattewell6.bsky.social )

@mierkezat.bsky.social et al investigate the role of civil society in contemporary cleavage formation. 

There are a few more SI contributions still to come!

Even in times of sociocultural conflict, a progressive left electorate is more averse to sociocultural *and* socioeconomic inequalities than (far) right voters.

New paper with @siljahausermann.bsky.social Palmtag @tabouchadi.bsky.social @stefwalter.bsky.social Berkinshaw
tinyurl.com/d42wyb79

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We have a new article out in Politics & Society. We analyze how perceptions of sociocultural and socioeconomic inequalities structure electoral behavior. Instead of a dividing line between these inequalities, we find that supporters of left parties are more opposed to all types of inequality.

But at the party system level, the lower divisiveness of socioeconomic inequalities may reduce incentives for parties to mobilize on these as opposed to sociocultural issues, potentially fostering a crowding out of traditional socioeconomic inequalities by sociocultural conflicts.

7/n

For the progressive left, this article confirms previous findings that there does not seem to be an electoral tradeoff between adopting economically redistributive and culturally progressive positions. See e.g. tinyurl.com/mrpdzc9p

6/n

Studying the structural foundations of these inequality perceptions highlights that even the social groups who belong to the relative “winners” of socioeconomic change–known to support the progressive left–are still averse to inequality across the board.

5/n

We find support for the second hypothesis: Progressive left voters are more concerned about all types of inequality than conservative center right and especially far right constituencies.

4/n

Second, a rival theoretical approach expects a single dimension of conflict over inequality:

Even today's more higher-educated middle class left electorate should be averse to both socioeconomic and sociocultural inequalities–while far right voters are generally more tolerant of stratification
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