Luca Bernardi

Dr. Luca Bernardi is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Liverpool. His research bridges mental health and political behavior, examining how psychological states influence electoral participation, policy preferences, and voter decision-making.

• Current supervisor for PhD students in mental health policy, immigrant voting behavior, disability representation, and radical right politics
• Principal Investigator for mental health-focused grants totaling over £60,000 from the British Academy, University of Liverpool, and Research England
• Coordinated the inclusion of validated mental health scales (CESD-8, GAD-7) in the European Social Survey CRONOS-2 Panel

Research Interests:

• Mental Health & Political Engagement
• Politics as a Stress Factor
• Mass-Elite Linkages
• Electoral Behavior
• Policy Responsiveness
• Affective Polarization

Recent Publications:

• 2025: Mental health and political participation dynamics
• 2024: Depression's impact on partisan loyalty
• 2023: Cognitive models linking depression to policy preferences

Scientific Recognition:

• Nominated for ECPR Rising Star Award (2020-2021)
• Higher Education Academy Fellow

Key Collaborations:

• OECD Centre for Well-being
• European Social Survey
• Stanford, UCL, and Bath university partnerships