Peter Thisted Dinesen

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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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-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 journal › Journal article › peer-review