Maximilian Filsinger

Maximilian Filsinger is an Assistant Professor in Comparative Politics at the European School of Political and Social Sciences (ESPOL), Université Catholique de Lille. Previously, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bern, where he also earned his PhD. His research bridges political sociology, political psychology, and political behavior, focusing on affective polarization, populism, and democratic challenges in contemporary societies.

Research Trends: Analysis of 15 recent publications reveals a consistent focus on polarization mechanisms (health policy, moral foundations), emotional drivers of populist attitudes (anger, fear), pandemic-related governance issues (trust, vaccination divides), and institutional factors shaping social capital. Methodologically, he employs quantitative approaches such as survey experiments, longitudinal data, and cross-national comparative studies.

• Keywords: Comparative Politics, Political Psychology, Polarization, Populism, Democracy, Public Health
• Sub-fields: Affective polarization, Moral framing, Crisis communication, Vaccine hesitancy, Authoritarianism, Social capital