About
I am professor of Political Science at the University of Mainz.
My main research interests are the comparative analysis of micro data and comparative political sociology,elections and electoral behaviour, Extreme Right / Radical Right / Populist Right parties in Europe, German Politics, and Research Methods and the Sociology of Knowledge.
Contact
Recent Publications / Working Papers
- Arzheimer, Kai. “Im Osten nichts Neues? Die elektorale Unterstützung von AfD und Linkspartei in den alten und neuen Bundesländern bei der Bundestagswahl 2021.” Wahlen und Wähler – Analysen aus Anlass der Bundestagwahl 2021. Eds. Schoen, Harald and Bernhard Wessels. Wiesbaden: Springer, 2023. .
[BibTeX] [Download PDF] [HTML]@InCollection{arzheimer-2023c, author = {Arzheimer, Kai}, title = {Im Osten nichts Neues? Die elektorale Unterstützung von AfD und Linkspartei in den alten und neuen Bundesländern bei der Bundestagswahl 2021}, booktitle = {Wahlen und Wähler - Analysen aus Anlass der Bundestagwahl 2021}, publisher = {Springer}, year = 2023, editor = {Schoen, Harald and Wessels, Bernhard}, address = {Wiesbaden}, url = {https://www.kai-arzheimer.com/bundestagswahl-2021-ostdeutschland-linkspartei-afd.pdf}, html = {https://www.kai-arzheimer.com/bundestagswahl-2021-ostdeutschland-linkspartei-afd/}, dateadded = {14-11-2022} } - Arzheimer, Kai. “A short scale for measuring political secularism.” Politics and Religion online first (2022). doi:10.1017/S1755048322000104
[BibTeX] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [HTML] [DATA]As religiousness is declining across democracies, scientific interest in secular orientations and their political implications is growing. One specific and particularly important aspect of secular attitudes is political secularism. Political secularism is not merely the absence of religiousness, but rather a world view which holds that religious beliefs should play no role in politics. While there are hundreds of survey instruments that measure the strength and content of religiousness, there is no comparable measure that taps into political secularism. In this research note, I briefly review the concept of political secularism and present a cluster of items which target it. Utilising data from four large population representative samples taken in the eastern and western states of Germany, I use Confirmatory Factor Analysis to show that these items form a short but internally consistent scale. This scale also displays convergent and discriminant validity. It may be readily used in future surveys.
@Article{arzheimer-2022, author = {Arzheimer, Kai}, title = {A short scale for measuring political secularism}, journal = {Politics and Religion}, year = 2022, volume = {online first}, abstract = {As religiousness is declining across democracies, scientific interest in secular orientations and their political implications is growing. One specific and particularly important aspect of secular attitudes is political secularism. Political secularism is not merely the absence of religiousness, but rather a world view which holds that religious beliefs should play no role in politics. While there are hundreds of survey instruments that measure the strength and content of religiousness, there is no comparable measure that taps into political secularism. In this research note, I briefly review the concept of political secularism and present a cluster of items which target it. Utilising data from four large population representative samples taken in the eastern and western states of Germany, I use Confirmatory Factor Analysis to show that these items form a short but internally consistent scale. This scale also displays convergent and discriminant validity. It may be readily used in future surveys.}, dateadded = {22-12-2021}, doi = {10.1017/S1755048322000104}, url = {https://www.kai-arzheimer.com/secularism-measurement.pdf}, data = {https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/XEKNYW}, html = {https://www.kai-arzheimer.com/scale-political-secularism}, } - Rothmund, Tobias and Kai Arzheimer. “Politische Ideologien.” Politische Psychologie. Handbuch für Studium und Wissenschaft. Eds. Zmerli, Sonja and Ofer Feldman. 2 ed. Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2022. 149-173.
[BibTeX]@InCollection{rothmund-arzheimer-2022c, author = {Rothmund, Tobias and Arzheimer, Kai}, title = {Politische Ideologien}, booktitle = {Politische Psychologie. Handbuch für Studium und Wissenschaft}, publisher = {Nomos}, year = 2022, edition = {2}, editor = {Zmerli, Sonja and Feldman, Ofer}, pages = {149-173}, address = {Baden-Baden} } - Arzheimer, Kai. “(International) Comparative Political Sociology.” The Encyclopedia of Political Sociology. Eds. Grasso, Maria and Marco Giugni. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2022. .
[BibTeX] [Download PDF] [HTML]@InCollection{arzheimer-2022b, author = {Arzheimer, Kai}, title = {(International) Comparative Political Sociology}, booktitle = {The Encyclopedia of Political Sociology}, publisher = {Edward Elgar}, year = 2022, editor = {Maria Grasso and Marco Giugni}, address = {Cheltenham}, dateadded = {01-02-2022}, html = {https://www.kai-arzheimer.com/international-comparative-political-sociology}, url = {https://www.kai-arzheimer.com/international-comparative-political-sociology.pdf}} - Arzheimer, Kai. “Extremismus.” Politikwissenschaftliche Einstellungs- und Verhaltensforschung. Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Studium. Eds. Faas, Thorsten, Oscar W. Gabriel, and Jürgen Maier. Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2020. 296-308. doi:10.5771/9783845264899
[BibTeX] [Download PDF] [HTML]@InCollection{arzheimer-2020, author = {Arzheimer, Kai}, title = {Extremismus}, booktitle = {Politikwissenschaftliche Einstellungs- und Verhaltensforschung. Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Studium}, publisher = {Nomos}, year = 2020, editor = {Faas, Thorsten and Gabriel, Oscar W. and Maier, Jürgen}, pages = {296-308}, doi = {10.5771/9783845264899}, address = {Baden-Baden}, html = {https://www.kai-arzheimer.com/paper/politischer-extremismus/}, dateadded = {09-01-2020}, url = {https://www.kai-arzheimer.com/politischer-extremismus.pdf} } - Arzheimer, Kai. “Secular Citizens, Pious MPs: Why German Attitudes About Genetic Testing Are Much More Permissive Than German Laws.” Political Research Exchange 2.1 (2020). doi:10.1080/2474736X.2020.1765693
[BibTeX] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [HTML] [DATA]Germany has lifted its total ban on Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD, a form of genetic testing), but the new rules are still much stricter than those in other European countries. Results from a large-scale survey experiment show that the general population holds more permissive views on this bio-ethical question than lawmakers. In a country seen as a paradigm for the “religious world” of morality politics, many citizens even support further liberalisation along the lines of legislation in Belgium and the UK. Induced reflection on the arguments raised in parliament does not change this: arguments in favour of PGD are widely accepted by respondents, whereas many citizens reject the arguments against PGD. Citzens’ and MPs’ respective evaluations are affected strongly by religiosity, whose levels in the population are much lower than in parliament. Widespread secular views are not adequately represented in politics. This does not only concern the regulation of PGD but also other current and future bioethical issues. It is unlikely that this tension can be resolved through electoral politics. These findings have important ramifications not just for practical morality politics in Germany and other “religious world” countries but also for the two worlds framework itself.
@Article{arzheimer-2020b, author = {Arzheimer, Kai}, title = {Secular Citizens, Pious MPs: Why German Attitudes About Genetic Testing Are Much More Permissive Than German Laws}, html = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2474736X.2020.1765693}, journal = {Political Research Exchange}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/2474736X.2020.1765693?needAccess=true}, year = 2020, volume = {2}, number = {1}, abstract = {Germany has lifted its total ban on Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD, a form of genetic testing), but the new rules are still much stricter than those in other European countries. Results from a large-scale survey experiment show that the general population holds more permissive views on this bio-ethical question than lawmakers. In a country seen as a paradigm for the "religious world" of morality politics, many citizens even support further liberalisation along the lines of legislation in Belgium and the UK. Induced reflection on the arguments raised in parliament does not change this: arguments in favour of PGD are widely accepted by respondents, whereas many citizens reject the arguments against PGD. Citzens' and MPs' respective evaluations are affected strongly by religiosity, whose levels in the population are much lower than in parliament. Widespread secular views are not adequately represented in politics. This does not only concern the regulation of PGD but also other current and future bioethical issues. It is unlikely that this tension can be resolved through electoral politics. These findings have important ramifications not just for practical morality politics in Germany and other "religious world" countries but also for the two worlds framework itself.}, html = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2474736X.2020.1765693}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/2474736X.2020.1765693?needAccess=true}, data = {https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/PY9TBQ}, doi = {10.1080/2474736X.2020.1765693}, dateadded = {28-03-2020} } - Arzheimer, Kai. “A partial micro-foundation for the ‘two-worlds’ theory of morality policymaking: Evidence from Germany.” Research & Politics 7.2 (2020). doi:10.1177/2053168020917823
[BibTeX] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [HTML] [DATA]The two-worlds framework is currently the most important account of morality policymaking in Europe. For this theory of elite behaviour to be valid, a number of implicit assumptions about political belief systems at the mass level must hold. This contribution spells out these assumptions and tests them within a structural equation modelling framework, using original survey data from Germany, a country that constitutes a crucial case for the two-worlds theory. The results showed that the implicit individual-level preconditions of the two-worlds framework were fulfilled. Political secularism and partisanship were strongly associated. Political secularism also had strong effects on morality policy preferences regarding the preferred regulation of abortion, embryo and stem cell research, and gene therapies, even when controlling for a host of background variables. However, the size of the effects did not vary across politicised and non-politicised issues. This casts some doubt over the ability of partisan actors to unilaterally control the morality policy agenda.
@Article{arzheimer-2020c, author = {Kai Arzheimer}, title = {A partial micro-foundation for the 'two-worlds' theory of morality policymaking: Evidence from Germany}, journal = {Research \& Politics}, year = 2020, volume = 7, number = 2, abstract = {The two-worlds framework is currently the most important account of morality policymaking in Europe. For this theory of elite behaviour to be valid, a number of implicit assumptions about political belief systems at the mass level must hold. This contribution spells out these assumptions and tests them within a structural equation modelling framework, using original survey data from Germany, a country that constitutes a crucial case for the two-worlds theory. The results showed that the implicit individual-level preconditions of the two-worlds framework were fulfilled. Political secularism and partisanship were strongly associated. Political secularism also had strong effects on morality policy preferences regarding the preferred regulation of abortion, embryo and stem cell research, and gene therapies, even when controlling for a host of background variables. However, the size of the effects did not vary across politicised and non-politicised issues. This casts some doubt over the ability of partisan actors to unilaterally control the morality policy agenda.}, dateadded = {28-03-2020}, url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2053168020917823}, data = {https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/2MIWPN}, html = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2053168020917823}, keywords = {bioethik}, doi = {10.1177/2053168020917823} }
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Consultancy
- Media: I regularly comment on German and European parties and their voters, and on political extremism
- Research Methods: I have been teaching methods, statistics and software in academic settings since 1996 and offer consultancy and in-house seminars
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