PhD Position: Factual Belief Polarisation and its Attitudinal Consequences

Join our PhD project exploring how polarised factual beliefs shape public opinion and fuel broader political divides.

What citizens believe to be true and whether they trust science and experts increasingly depend on where they stand on the political spectrum. As a result, political opponents are often divided not only in their attitudes, but also in their beliefs about reality. Left-wing and right-wing voters, for instance, have different perceptions of the causes of climate change, the magnitude of income inequality, and the number of immigrants in their country. We are recruiting a PhD candidate who will examine how this 'factual belief polarisation' influences public opinion and potentially contributes to broader polarisation.

You will apply new and existing experimental methods to examine when, how, and why factual beliefs about issues such as inequality, immigration, or government spending have an impact on issue attitudes and affective polarisation. Your results will be disseminated in international peer-reviewed journal articles and an article-based PhD dissertation. Your supervision team will consist of Dr. Roderik Rekker (main substantive supervisor), Dr. Hakan Çakmak, Dr. Bojana Većkalov, and Prof. Dr. Carolien van Ham. You will also have a limited teaching assignment of about 5%.

Required:

• You hold (or expect to obtain before starting this position) a Master’s degree in political science (or another relevant discipline such as political communication or political psychology).
• You have a good command of quantitative research methods, particularly regarding the design and technical execution of survey experiments.
• You can work both independently and in a team.
• You have an excellent command of written academic English.
• Regular (but not daily) presence in Nijmegen is expected.

Desirables:

• You have completed or almost completed a Research Master’s programme and/or you have completed courses on advanced quantitative methods with good grades.
• You have experience conducting research on polarisation, misperceptions, or another related topic.

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,881 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Additional employment conditions
Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Nijmegen School of Management
At Nijmegen School of Management, one of the seven faculties within Radboud University in the Netherlands, we have a clear aim: we enable students, institutions and companies, social actors, and governments to play their part in the transformations towards a sustainable society through high-quality scientific research and education. With more than 4,500 curious students and more than 450 dedicated employees, we form a dynamic community.

Our mission ‘Responsible governance for sustainable societies’ is driven by the ambition to make a difference in the world. At Nijmegen School of Management, we understand management as a broad concept referring to the collective and organised pursuit (responsible governance) of a better world (sustainable societies). We study and teach management at the level of public and private organisations. In this context, we examine how to balance economic, ecological, and social values in a sustainable way. This aim is in line with Radboud University's mission to contribute through teaching and research to a ‘free, healthy world with equal opportunities for all’.

At Nijmegen School of Management, academic research and teaching are carried out in following areas: Business Administration, Economics and Business Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, Human Geography, Spatial Planning, and Environment. Our approach to teaching and research is evolving from multidisciplinarity, where we study societal challenges from different disciplinary backgrounds, to interdisciplinarity (integrating disciplinary perspectives for synergy) and transdisciplinarity (involving non-academic stakeholders).

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an important source of inspiration for our work. Our work focuses on the themes Social economy, Resilient society and Sustainable environment. At Nijmegen School of Management, we have our eyes on the world of the future, in which sustainability and responsibility are central values. Together we are creating a better world for everyone.

Radboud University
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.

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The Department of Political Science examines the complexity and interconnectedness of contemporary politics with a focus on legitimacy and institutional change. The department consists of two chair groups: Empirical Political Science and International Relations. Together, they offer Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in Political Science.

You will be based within the Empirical Political Science chair group. This chair group is particularly strong in Comparative Politics, Political Theory, as well as Quantitative and Qualitative Methodology. Major research topics include populism, electoral behaviour, public opinion, labour movements, as well as the moral legitimacy of institutions and policies. Many of the group’s members contribute to more than one of these subjects, and are active in interdisciplinary Hot Spots and research collaborations across Nijmegen School of Management and beyond.

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Roderik Rekker. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews (will take place either online or face-to-face (depending on the candidate’s location and preference) in the week of 6 April. This interview will include a short oral presentation of research ideas by the candidate. You will preferably start your employment on 1 September 2026.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.