🚨TODAY🚨 🗳️The results of last week's local & devolved elections have driven days of uncertainty in British politics 🤓Join our panel of expert pollsters @robfordmancs.bsky.social, @hannahbunting.bsky.social, Michael Thrasher & @anandmenon.bsky.social to unpack it all 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/events/ukice...

It's local election day across the country! Find out more about what happens at a count, written by Adam Gray and check out the rest of this year's local election series including previews on key regions. @hannahbunting.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social electionscentre.uk/what-happens...

Are we witnessing the end of two-party politics in Britain? @profjanegreen.bsky.social and @martamiori.bsky.social explore what this week’s elections could reveal about the future of UK politics using YouGov data for ITV News. Find out more ⬇️ https://bit.ly/42ioslS

Election day is here -- if you're looking for some reading materials before polls close, at The Elections Centre we have been sharing our insights over the last few weeks. I'll link to a few of them in this thread 👇

Dr @hannahbunting.bsky.social from @exeterspspa.bsky.social and the @exeter.ac.uk Elections Centre has advice for how to follow tomorrow's local elections 🗳️ theconversation.com/election-day...

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 What to look out for at the local elections 📝 📊 @adampayne26.bsky.social, @siennarodgers.bsky.social, More in Common's @luketryl.bsky.social & Exeter Uni's @hannahbunting.bsky.social discuss the key results on 7 May Hosted by @alaintolhurst.bsky.social podfollow.com/politicshome...

It's election week and our very own @hannahbunting.bsky.social has released a local elections projection. With close contests across the country, results are likely to be affected by even slight changes in party support and voter turnout. Read more via the link! @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social

New tech or traditional expertise: who will get the local elections right? theweekinpolls.substack.com/p/new-tech-o... Includes a chess analogy comparing likes of @samfr.bsky.social, @moreincommonuk.bsky.social, @stevefisher.bsky.social & @hannahbunting.bsky.social to various chess world champions.

Analysis by @hannahbunting.bsky.social from the @exeter.ac.uk Elections Centre is featured in the @the-independent.com today www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

For the first time, I've released a local elections projection using The Elections Centre data. You can read the full analysis here and I'll add some snippets in this thread 👇 electionscentre.uk/2026-local-e...

New analysis from @hannahbunting.bsky.social from the @exeter.ac.uk Elections Centre shows how this year's local elections will see many close contests – decided by just a few percentage points electionscentre.uk/2026-local-e...

Great analysis from @hannahbunting.bsky.social on the Gorton and Denton by-election @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social

New piece from w/ @hannahbunting.bsky.social & @jess-smith.bsky.social on the Gorton & Denton byelection, and what it might tell us about British politics. We cover turnout, late-deciding voters, gender gaps & the continuing fragmentation of the party system 🧵 theconversation.com/late-decider...

Check out the post below by @philipjcowley.bsky.social, who’s written a great summary of ongoing work by me, @hannahbunting.bsky.social, @cerifowler.bsky.social, @jess-smith.bsky.social, and @annasanders.bsky.social on gender gaps in “don’t know” responses👇

New analysis from the University of Exeter’s Elections Centre by @hannahbunting.bsky.social and Michael Thrasher shows dramatic shifts in local council by-elections, with more parties than ever contesting seats and far fewer votes required to win @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social

The Local Elections Handbook 2025 is now available on the Elections Centre website: electionscentre.uk/resources/ It details the definitive record of all the councillor elections that took place in May 2025. Plus, it marks the 40th edition of local elections handbooks! @hannahbunting.bsky.social

🧵 Thread on new research on gender gaps in “don’t know” responses Some of you will know that my stellar coauthors @hannahbunting.bsky.social @cerifowler.bsky.social @jess-smith.bsky.social @annasanders.bsky.social & I have been working on a large-scale project on “don’t know” responses in surveys.

"A big set of losses will be interpreted as a sign Starmer’s government is failing, even though the elections are likely to be low-turnout contests that actually represent the public’s continued diversity of opinions" - @hannahbunting.bsky.social on #Labour theconversation.com/rumours-abou...

🚨New article🚨 What do people want from political leaders in times of crisis, and are those preferences gendered? Interested? Then check out our new Electoral Studies paper @jess-smith.bsky.social @viktorv.bsky.social @danjdevine.bsky.social @hannahbunting.bsky.social @carolineleicht.bsky.social

Kicked off my first week at @lsegovernment.bsky.social with the fantastic @psaepop.bsky.social #EPOP2025 conference in Exeter. Grateful for the warm welcome, great academic exchange and stunning English nature 🌿. Colleagues in or passing through London, please reach out, I’d be glad to connect!

On Friday, I was fortunate enough to promote our book, Beyond Woke and Anti-Woke, at a plenary session of the #EPOP2025 conference. Thanks to all who came and co-panellists Helen Berry, @evemworth.bsky.social and @hannahbunting.bsky.social

#EPOP2025 is all wrapped up! Fantastic conference rounded off with dinner at Reed Hall @hannahbunting.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @psaepop.bsky.social A huge thanks to all of our presenters, panellists, delegates and colleagues who supported to make it such a success.

On my way to #EPOP2025, my favourite recurring conference, with @prossertj.bsky.social. This year I have a welcome problem - practically every panel has cool people I know doing great work, and there aren’t six of me to attend them all!

We've managed to have lunch outside every day and shortly heading into final plenary sessions before the gala dinner this evening #EPOP20205 - Reed Hall is looking lovely already!

A fascinating plenary session at #EPOP2025 yesterday, thanks to Professor Helen Berry and Dr Eve Worth from @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social and Professor Thomas Prosser from Cardiff University, chaired by @hannahbunting.bsky.social @pspolisci.bsky.social @psaepop.bsky.social

🌅📙 64.3 #GovernmentTrust These authors (🧵⬇️) use experiments in 🇬🇧🇭🇷🇪🇸🇦🇷 & 🇫🇷 to determine what has the most influence on citizen's trust. They also looked at how different trust-related qualities interact and how people's own traits change the effects. 🔗 buff.ly/H5wjxBl

Only one more week to buy your ticket for EPOP 2025!

🚨 ICYMI: EPOP 2025 registration open, and draft programme released! 🚨 Join us in Exeter 4-6th September on our Streatham campus for some stellar papers. Early bird rates open until 4th August, registration closes 28th August. Those staying in Holland Hall will wake up to this view!

One of the very interesting charts in this excellent piece by @hannahbunting.bsky.social on measuring the extent of electoral fragmentation

Great stuff (and great graphs) by @hannahbunting.bsky.social Got to say that, at this rate and although (like Hannah) we've banged on about fragmentation for yonks, Paul Webb and I are going to have to do a shedload of work to update next edition of "The Modern British Party System".

The Conservatives and Labour together barely scraped a quarter of seats – but Reform’s victory came on a historically low vote share.

🚨 Call for papers deadline extended! You can now submit to the below form until this Sunday 4th May. We thought many of you have had or will be having late nights this week watching democracy unfold, so we decided to give you a few more days. Looking forward to seeing you in Exeter this September!

From February 2025 - 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

*Call for Papers* Elections, Public Opinion and Parties (EPOP) Annual Conference, 4 - 6 Sept at Dept of Social and #Political Sciences, #Philosophy & #Anthropology @exeter.ac.uk. Hosted by PSA EPOP specialist group @psaepop.bsky.social. Details at

🚨Local elections are coming 🚨 💬 Sign up to our webinar to analyse the results with UKICE’s polling guru Sir John Curtice, @anandmenon.bsky.social @sophiestowers.bsky.social, Uni of Exeter’s @hannahbunting.bsky.social & LSE’s Tony Travers 👇

Doing cool research on elections, public opinion and/or parties? Don't forget to submit your abstract for EPOP 2025 before the end of April. Link to the form here: forms.office.com/e/4wBNMq4qwi Come share your work with an awesome group of scholars! Any questions, contact [email protected] 😊

📣 NEW EVENT 📣 🗳️ What do the local elections reveal about British politics? 💬 Join UKICE’s polling guru Sir John Curtice, @anandmenon.bsky.social @sophiestowers.bsky.social, Uni of Exeter’s @hannahbunting.bsky.social & LSE’s Tony Travers as they discuss👇 ukandeu.ac.uk/events/ukice...

The call for papers for #EPOP2025 is now open. Happening 4-6 September at the University of Exeter, this is not to be missed! See the thread below for the conference website and details on how to apply. @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social

🚨 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.

Ralph Scott (Bristol) Wednesday 14 May, 12:00-13:00 In the final seminar, @ralphscott.bsky.social will discuss a new paper (with @hannahbunting.bsky.social, @robfordmancs.bsky.social, and @profsob.bsky.social) on education-based social identities. events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3ab643...

My paper (w/ @turnbulldugarte.com) is now out on: ❓How do people derive social class of representatives and the public? The headline is that working-class parliamentarians are less likely to be perceived as such (compared to otherwise identical lay public) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Happy to have contributed to this research from the Centenary Action Group showing how much work is needed to achieve a 50:50 parliament www.politics.co.uk/comment/2025...

Beautiful wintery day in Oxford for the @genelectnet.bsky.social workshop today. I’m afraid the only photo I took was of this squirrel who was obviously incredibly interested in gender & elections and wanted to join our discussions

One of our co-convenors @cerifowler.bsky.social currently presenting on work Gender Gaps in the 2024 UK General Election with @profrosiecamp.bsky.social @rosieshorrocks.bsky.social and @annasanders.bsky.social

Churn, churn, churn. "While on average 72.7% of spads remained in their role for a year between 2010 and 2014, this dropped to an average of 35.5% between 2015 and 2020. This in part reflects a greater level of churn amongst cabinet ministers in subsequent years."

Today's rabbit hole: Did the differential don't knows by gender influence the polling error in 2024 Female 2019 Cons voters were more likely to support the Cons in 2024 than male 2019 Cons voters but were more likely to be unsure before polling day. One to try and model another day.

Important research here providing a proper empirical assessment of the electoral impacts of the new voter ID requirements (tl;dr - small, but real, important and with a clear partisan skew)

At #EPOP2024, we were delighted to present Michael Thrasher and Colin Rallings with the 2024 Sir David Butler Prize for Lifetime Contribution to the Study of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties. Congratulations to both!

Intro yourself with some jobs you've had: - bar staff (pub, nightclub, racecourse, restaurant) - silver service waitress - childminder - catering staff - retail staff - call centre worker - researcher - academic