Joe Phillips
@polpsychjoe.bsky.social
Assistant Professor in Political Science, Trinity College Dublin. Political Psychology. Polarization. Political Communication.
Solar eclipse, both with and without glasses, in Penarth, Wales.
August 12, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Solar eclipse, both with and without glasses, in Penarth, Wales.
In some major professional news, tomorrow I will be starting as Assistant Professor in Political Science at Trinity College Dublin! 🇮🇪 Super excited about this opportunity, and huge thanks to everyone who made this possible.
August 3, 2026 at 9:47 AM
In some major professional news, tomorrow I will be starting as Assistant Professor in Political Science at Trinity College Dublin! 🇮🇪 Super excited about this opportunity, and huge thanks to everyone who made this possible.
At least in 2022, Northern resentment of the South had clear political effects. It moved people away from the Tories and possibly towards Labour. Southern resentment's effects are absorbed by other attitudes. Peripheral resentment, while prevalent, does not appear politically consequential.
August 1, 2026 at 2:23 PM
At least in 2022, Northern resentment of the South had clear political effects. It moved people away from the Tories and possibly towards Labour. Southern resentment's effects are absorbed by other attitudes. Peripheral resentment, while prevalent, does not appear politically consequential.
Just as we see in other contexts, resentment from more aggrieved regions towards less aggrieved regions is higher than the reverse. Northerners have more resentment toward the South than vice versa, as do the rest of England vs London (which even Southerners near London feel).
August 1, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Just as we see in other contexts, resentment from more aggrieved regions towards less aggrieved regions is higher than the reverse. Northerners have more resentment toward the South than vice versa, as do the rest of England vs London (which even Southerners near London feel).
Most forms of place-based resentment in England represent coherent constructs, save for London resentment of elsewhere (which frankly can be down to low sample size).
![Measurement criteria for place-based resentment. Northern resentment towards Southerners fit well to the data (alpha=.83, RMSEA=.052 [90% CI: .030, .073], SRMR=.034, CFI=.960, TLI=.971). Southerners' resentment towards the North fit well (alpha=.81, RMSEA=.060 [90% CI: .041, .081], SRMR=.038, CFI=.967, TLI=.953). Peripheral resentment of London fit well to the data (alpha=.83, RMSEA=.063 [90% CI: .049, .078], SRMR=.033, CFI=.964, TLI=.949). Londoners' resentment of the rest of England fit well only on some indicators (alpha=.78, RMSEA=.100 [90% CI: .058, .141], SRMR=.073, CFI=.884, TLI=.838).](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tdmuatdq6sdj6zcvwuxujd3o/bafkreidzfcwvpsrwsvr756ws53w2ri2k7yojhsna4ri2o27zgmzpw2tl3i)
August 1, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Most forms of place-based resentment in England represent coherent constructs, save for London resentment of elsewhere (which frankly can be down to low sample size).
We tested four forms of place-based resentment in England: Northerners' resentment of the South, Southerners' resentment of the North, the rest of England's resentment of London, and Londoners's resentment towards the rest of England.
![1) My community gives more in taxes to the [outgroup] of England than we get back
2) When the [ingroup] is hit by bad times, people living there solve problems on their own. The government shouldn't give the [outgroup] special favours
3) Decades of technological and economic changes have made it difficult for some [ingroup] communities to improve on their own.
4) The [outgroup] has too much say in British politics.
5) I feel that most political leaders in this country do not care about the [ingroup].
6) People in the [outgroup] of England do not understand or respect the [ingroup] way of life.
7) It is fair to say that [ingroup] are harder working because it's more difficult to get by in the [ingrop] than it is in the [outgroup].
8) Despite what some people say, communities in the [ingroup] best represent the "real Britain."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tdmuatdq6sdj6zcvwuxujd3o/bafkreicjlpnj3incuj2ielbdxqsjymrqy6jlpaiajlhtnghiqj6krrznqm)
![1) My community gives more in taxes to the [outgroup] of England than we get back
2) When the [ingroup] is hit by bad times, people living there solve problems on their own. The government shouldn't give the [outgroup] special favours
3) Decades of technological and economic changes have made it difficult for some [ingroup] communities to improve on their own.
4) The [outgroup] has too much say in British politics.
5) I feel that most political leaders in this country do not care about the [ingroup].
6) People in the [outgroup] of England do not understand or respect the [ingroup] way of life.
7) It is fair to say that [ingroup] are harder working because it's more difficult to get by in the [ingrop] than it is in the [outgroup].
8) Despite what some people say, communities in the [ingroup] best represent the "real Britain."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tdmuatdq6sdj6zcvwuxujd3o/bafkreiezp4l3xxq3uuorztyn2x3sl5irzq4bee3ek7mv565vypogl6ezei)
August 1, 2026 at 2:23 PM
We tested four forms of place-based resentment in England: Northerners' resentment of the South, Southerners' resentment of the North, the rest of England's resentment of London, and Londoners's resentment towards the rest of England.
On my way to ISPP! Looking forward to presenting on how values undergird foreign policy dispositions and on how affective polarization constrains spatial voting, as well as catching up with friends old and new.
July 15, 2026 at 12:28 PM
On my way to ISPP! Looking forward to presenting on how values undergird foreign policy dispositions and on how affective polarization constrains spatial voting, as well as catching up with friends old and new.
Under King Charles, younger generations may be coming to support the monarchy less. According to @britishelectionstudy.com data, the youngest cohorts declined in support for continuing the institution once Charles succeeded Elizabeth, but older cohorts did not.
June 25, 2026 at 9:48 AM
Under King Charles, younger generations may be coming to support the monarchy less. According to @britishelectionstudy.com data, the youngest cohorts declined in support for continuing the institution once Charles succeeded Elizabeth, but older cohorts did not.
Under Queen Elizabeth, generational cohorts did not clearly or consistently differ in their support for continuing the monarchy or its abolition.
June 25, 2026 at 9:48 AM
Under Queen Elizabeth, generational cohorts did not clearly or consistently differ in their support for continuing the monarchy or its abolition.
According to 40+ years of British Social Attitudes Survey data, under Queen Elizabeth, age has a strong effect on support for the monarchy. Young people start out less enthused and grow in support over time. This holds across multiple modelling strategies and controlling for other factors.
June 25, 2026 at 9:48 AM
According to 40+ years of British Social Attitudes Survey data, under Queen Elizabeth, age has a strong effect on support for the monarchy. Young people start out less enthused and grow in support over time. This holds across multiple modelling strategies and controlling for other factors.
We don’t usually get to see each other’s header images.
Here’s mine: it’s nothing.
Here’s mine: it’s nothing.
June 10, 2026 at 3:54 PM
We don’t usually get to see each other’s header images.
Here’s mine: it’s nothing.
Here’s mine: it’s nothing.
The unionist loyalists are certainly behaving according to your specifications.
June 9, 2026 at 10:55 PM
The unionist loyalists are certainly behaving according to your specifications.
One time I was trying to look up the etymology of the phrase “have a good one” and the result was similar.
May 23, 2026 at 8:00 AM
One time I was trying to look up the etymology of the phrase “have a good one” and the result was similar.
@the-independent.com, why are you nodding to the anti-vaxxers with this framing? In a moment where there's a concerted effort to undermine science, any overture to COVID denialism is extremely irresponsible. The COVID vaccine saved millions of lives and was nothing short of a miracle.
March 27, 2026 at 11:29 PM
@the-independent.com, why are you nodding to the anti-vaxxers with this framing? In a moment where there's a concerted effort to undermine science, any overture to COVID denialism is extremely irresponsible. The COVID vaccine saved millions of lives and was nothing short of a miracle.
In some major personal news, I am now a UK citizen! As a thanks to all who helped make this possible, I wore the Union Jack socks @jasonreifler.bsky.social gifted/the t-shirt @polpsychkent.bsky.social gave to me at my leaving do, and did the affirmation/pledge in Welsh to show my affinity for Wales.
March 24, 2026 at 3:55 PM
In some major personal news, I am now a UK citizen! As a thanks to all who helped make this possible, I wore the Union Jack socks @jasonreifler.bsky.social gifted/the t-shirt @polpsychkent.bsky.social gave to me at my leaving do, and did the affirmation/pledge in Welsh to show my affinity for Wales.
I thought academic spam emails were supposed to be flattering!
March 18, 2026 at 6:04 PM
I thought academic spam emails were supposed to be flattering!
The collective violence support scale was developed in Lebanon, but replicates among a sample of Syrian diaspora (who supported the opposition at the time) and in Turkey, showing it can be flexible to different contexts.
February 23, 2026 at 12:09 PM
The collective violence support scale was developed in Lebanon, but replicates among a sample of Syrian diaspora (who supported the opposition at the time) and in Turkey, showing it can be flexible to different contexts.
Despite both being rooted in trait aggression and support for non-normative collective action, support for violence against outgroup members is positively associated with system support, while support for violence against outgroup leaders is negatively related.
February 23, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Despite both being rooted in trait aggression and support for non-normative collective action, support for violence against outgroup members is positively associated with system support, while support for violence against outgroup leaders is negatively related.
Both support for violence against outgroup members and outgroup leaders correlate with support for other forms of non-normative collective action and with trait aggression.
February 23, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Both support for violence against outgroup members and outgroup leaders correlate with support for other forms of non-normative collective action and with trait aggression.
Experimentally priming feelings of threat increases endorsement of both violence against outgroup members and leaders, the overall structure of attitudes toward collective violence stays the same across conditions.
![We ran a measurement experiment in Studies 2 and 3 where we randomly assigned people to either fill out the items as normal, fill out an evaluation task where they discussed a situation of feeling threatened before answering the items, or adding the phrase "if my [group] was threatened" to items. We found that while both threat conditions increased endorsement of the items, the overall factor loadings were intact and the scale fit well to the data across conditions.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tdmuatdq6sdj6zcvwuxujd3o/bafkreidaosyq6suourlpotescbpc3uca4lg6zpvcqqlnzgrdgjurevjx4u)
February 23, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Experimentally priming feelings of threat increases endorsement of both violence against outgroup members and leaders, the overall structure of attitudes toward collective violence stays the same across conditions.
We find that attitudes toward collective violence hinge on the target, not the action, though endorsement of more severe action was lower). Attitudes separate into support for violence against out-group members (diffuse collective violence) vs out-group leaders (upward collective violence).
![Attitudes toward collective violence can be divided into that against outgroup members (diffuse) and outgroup leaders (upward).
The diffuse items:
1) It is justified for members of my [group] to become physically aggressive towards members of a different [group]
2) It can be justified for members of my [group] to hit members of a different [group]
3) It can be justified for members of my [group] to physically harm members of a different [group]
4) It is justified for members of my [group] to verbally insult members of a different [group]
5) It is sometimes justified for members of my [group] to verbally threaten members of a different [group]
6) It is sometimes justified for members of my [group] to verbally insult members of a different [group] on social media
The Upward Items:
1) Verbally insulting politicians from other [group] can be justified
2) One can justify people’s need to be violent towards our country’s leaders especially those from other [groups]
3) Dragging effigies representing corrupted politicians from other [groups] in the streets is a justified act
4) Holding symbolic trials and hanging effigies representing corrupted politicians from other [groups] is a justified act
5) Burning effigies of corrupted politicians from other [groups] is a justified act
6) Building representative figures of corrupted politicians from other [groups] and destroying them in groups is a justified act](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tdmuatdq6sdj6zcvwuxujd3o/bafkreihme5ut7e3tm2t7luvjubvcfzjwmehsulcg327odd3hndasf7wd7y)
February 23, 2026 at 12:09 PM
We find that attitudes toward collective violence hinge on the target, not the action, though endorsement of more severe action was lower). Attitudes separate into support for violence against out-group members (diffuse collective violence) vs out-group leaders (upward collective violence).
