Our Mission

The Electoral Psychology Observatory is a structure committed to conducting world-leading, innovative, ethical and impactful research in the field of electoral psychology.

We aim to tackle big questions using an oecumenical panoply of theoretical and empirical (including quantitative and qualitative) approaches to break new frontiers. Whilst big questions invariably receive a lot of attention, we systematically question the assumptions that have been routinely made and look for conceptual, analytical, and empirical originality to try and resolve them in ways that have not been attempted before.

In terms of substance, a lot of our research focuses on different components of electoral psychology, including the electoral experience of first time voters and of citizens with hidden disabilities, the emergence of electoral hostility and how it differs from “polarization”, and ways to systematically measure the atmosphere of elections. We also investigate electoral ergonomics, and assess the hidden impact of every small detail in the way elections are organised, including those many assume not to matter – this includes the organisation of polling stations and polling booth, design of ballot papers, remote voting options allowed and so on. Finally, we revisit the concept of inclusive democracy and work systematically to understand what it means for a democracy to be inclusive and fulfil the functions citizens want it to whilst unifying them.

We want our research to be impactful, which means that we want to help those who organise and manage democratic institutions ensure that democracy works as well as it can and for everyone. Our ethos is that our research must benefit society as a whole rather than specific ideologies. As a result, we collaborate with Election Management Bodies and Parliaments in consolidated or consolidating democracies when they are democratic and transparent, as well as International Organisations and the EU, but do not work with specific parties, unions, or candidates. Our work spans over 30 democracies across all 5 continents. We are unable to work in non-democratic countries.