Peter Dinesen

Professor Peter Dinesen is a political scientist at University College London (UCL), with an affiliation at the University of Copenhagen. He holds a PhD from Aarhus University (2011) and previously worked at the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Copenhagen. His research focuses on social trust formation, immigration sentiments, political engagement, terrorism consequences, and local economic influences on politics. Notable projects include examining how institutional trust shapes social trust and the effects of terrorism on mental health among refugees. He teaches political behavior and supervises PhD students exploring attitudes and belief formation. His work has been published in top journals like the American Political Science Review and Nature Human Behaviour.

Education: PhD in Political Science (Aarhus University, 2011). Previous positions include roles at the University of Southern Denmark (2010-2011) and the University of Copenhagen.

Research Interests:

• Social Trust: Explores generalized trust’s origins, including immigration and institutional roles.
• Immigration Sentiments: Analyzes public and political hostility toward immigrants.
• Political Engagement: Investigates how education, personality, and experience shape participation.
• Terrorism Consequences: Studies impacts on democracy and mental health.
• Local Economics: Examines unemployment/housing markets’ effects on voting and inequality.

Publications reflect a focus on causal mechanisms in political behavior and societal dynamics, with methodological rigor across observational and experimental designs. No explicit awards are listed, but his work has significant academic impact. Advising focuses on attitude formation in political contexts, and he collaborates on projects analyzing refugee mental health and legislative responsiveness to minorities.