Peter Thisted Dinesen

Peter Thisted Dinesen

Professor

Member of:

    I study social and political attitudes and behavior. Although I am a political scientist by training, my research falls in the intersection between political science, sociology and psychology. In my work I look at how various social and political attitudes are formed.

    My primary topic of interest has been in generalized social trust – trust in other people we don’t know – which is often thought to be an important civic attitude underpinning a well-functioning democracy. If people trust unknown others, they are also likely to act more civically – e.g. pay taxes, recycle, or volunteer – with positive consequences for society as a whole.

    I have, inter alia, examined the consequences of ethnic diversity for social trust, which embodies the larger question about whether social cohesion of Western societies is threatened by increased immigration by people with different ethnic background. I have analyzed this question in the primary school setting, as well as in municipalities and in the immediate neighborhood, where people live (the latter two together with Kim Sønderskov). The findings vary between contexts. I find no effect of ethnic diveristy on social trust in the school setting, but find negative effects of diversity in municipalities and in the immediate neighborhood.

    At this point, studying how the micro-context of residential areas form social and political attitudes is the main research research project that I am working on (together with Kim Sønderskov and Bolette Danckert). The project is based on detailed register data from Denmark, which offer unique opportunities for examining the role of the micro-context in shaping attitudes.

    Primary fields of research

    Political behavior and attitude formation including:

    • Social trust
    • Immigration attitudes
    • Attitudes towards redistribution
    • Political participation
    • Macroeconomic perceptions
    • Contextual effects
    • Personality as a determinant of political behavior and attitudes

    Teaching

    I primarily teach Political Behavior and Methods at both the B.Sc. and the M.Sc. level. I also supervise Ph.D. students and M.Sc. theses.

    Selected publications

    1. Published

      Ethnic Diversity and Social Trust: A Narrative and Meta-Analytical Review

      Dinesen, Peter Thisted, Schaeffer, Merlin & Sønderskov, K. M., 2020, In: Annual Review of Political Science. 23, p. 441-465

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    2. Published

      Ethnic Diversity and Social Trust: Evidence from the Micro-Context

      Dinesen, Peter Thisted & Sønderskov, K. M., 2015, In: American Sociological Review. 80, 3, p. 550-573

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    3. Published

      When Are Legislators Responsive to Ethnic Minorities? Testing the Role of Electoral Incentives and Candidate Selection for Mitigating Ethnocentric Responsiveness

      Dinesen, Peter Thisted, Dahl, M. & Schiøler, M., 2021, In: American Political Science Review. 115, 2, p. 450-466 17 p.

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    4. Published

      When Do Citizens Respond Politically to the Local Economy? Evidence from Registry Data on Local Housing Markets

      Larsen, M. V., Hjorth, Frederik Georg, Dinesen, Peter Thisted & Sønderskov, K. M., 2019, In: American Political Science Review. 113, 2, p. 499-516

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    5. Published

      Reconsidering the Neighborhood Effect: Does Exposure to Residential Unemployment Influence Voters' Perceptions of the National Economy?

      Bisgaard, M., Dinesen, Peter Thisted & Sønderskov, K. M., 2016, In: The Journal of Politics. 78, 3, p. 719-732

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    6. Published

      Crime Victimization Increases Turnout: Evidence from Individual-Level Administrative Panel Data

      Sønderskov, K. M., Dinesen, Peter Thisted, Finkel, S. & Hansen, Kasper Møller, 2022, In: British Journal of Political Science. 52, 1, p. 399-407 9 p.

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    7. Published

      Reacting to Neighborhood Cues? Political Sophistication Moderates the Effect of Exposure to Immigrants

      Danckert, B., Dinesen, Peter Thisted & Sønderskov, K. M., 2017, In: Public Opinion Quarterly. 81, 1, p. 37-56

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    8. Published

      Attitudes towards Immigration: The Role of Personal Predispositions

      Dinesen, Peter Thisted, Klemmensen, R. & Nørgaard, A. S., Feb 2016, In: Political Psychology. 37, 1, p. 55-72 4.

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    9. Published

      The Effect of Terror on Institutional Trust: New Evidence From the 3/11 Madrid Terrorist Attack

      Dinesen, Peter Thisted & Jæger, Mads Meier, 15 Dec 2013, In: Political Psychology. 34, 6, p. 917-926 10 p.

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    10. Published

      Increased incidence rates of trauma and stressor related disorders in Denmark following the 9/11 attacks

      Hansen, B. T., Østergaard, S. D., Sønderskov, K. M. & Dinesen, Peter Thisted, 2016, In: American Journal of Epidemiology. 184, 7, p. 494-500

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    11. Published

      Trusting the state, trusting each other? The effect of institutional trust on social trust

      Sønderskov, K. M. & Dinesen, Peter Thisted, 2016, In: Political Behavior. 38, 1, p. 179-202

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    12. Published

      Danish Exceptionalism: Explaining the Unique Increase in Social Trust over the Past 30 Years

      Sønderskov, K. M. & Dinesen, Peter Thisted, 2014, In: European Sociological Review. 30, 6, p. 782-795

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    13. Where you come from or where you live? Examining the cultural and institutional explanation of generalized trust using migration as a natural experiment

      Dinesen, Peter Thisted, 2013, In: European Sociological Review. 29, 1, p. 114-128 15 p.

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    14. Published

      Does Generalized (Dis)trust Travel? Examining the Impact of Cultural Heritage and Destination Country Environment on Trust of Immigrants

      Dinesen, Peter Thisted, 2012, In: Political Psychology. 33, 4, p. 495-511 17 p.

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    15. Published

      Daylight Savings Time Transitions and the Incidence Rate of Unipolar Depressive Episodes

      Hansen, B. T., Sønderskov, K. M., Hageman, I., Dinesen, Peter Thisted & Østergaard, S. D., 2017, In: Epidemiology. 28, 3, p. 346-353

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    16. When in Rome, Do as The Romans Do: The Acculturation of Generalized Trust Among Immigrants in Western Europe

      Dinesen, Peter Thisted & Hooghe, M., 2010, In: International Migration Review. 44, 3, p. 697-727 31 p.

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    17. Published

      The Civic Personality: Personality and Democratic Citizenship

      Dinesen, Peter Thisted, Nørgaard, A. S. & Klemmensen, R., 2014, In: Political Studies. 62, s1, p. 134–152

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    18. Published

      Education and Social Trust: Testing a Causal Hypothesis Using the Discordant Twin Design

      Oskarsson, S., Dinesen, Peter Thisted, Dawes, C., Johanneson, M. & Magnusson, P., 2017, In: Political Psychology. 38, 3, p. 515-531 8.

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    19. Published

      Estimating the Impact of Education on Political Participation: Evidence from Monozygotic Twins in the United States, Denmark and Sweden

      Dinesen, Peter Thisted, Dawes, C., Johanneson, M., Klemmensen, R., Magnusson, P., Nørgaard, A. S., Petersen, I. & Oskarsson, S., 2016, In: Political Behavior. 38, 3, p. 579-601

      Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    ID: 36049463