New opportunity for applicants to the MSc Social Research Methods & Statistics (Demography) @socialstats.bsky.social.
Eligible UK “home” students may receive support from the Population Investigation Committee (PIC) Scholarship Fund.
Details: www.lse.ac.uk/internationa...
Deadline: 22 May 2026
Come work with me and Prof Vicki Nash @oii.ox.ac.uk on this 2-year quantitative project.
For the second year, BSPS @bspsuk.bsky.social will host a session on queer demography!
It focuses on LGBTQIA+ populations, experiences, and demographic processes (e.g. dating, families, health).
Questions? Contact @mortenkthomsen.bsky.social or me.
Please share!
www.lse.ac.uk/internationa...
Screenshot of website for publication 54-11
LGBTQ+ adults in the US have distinct partnership and living arrangements often missed in surveys: less often married, more likely to cohabit or have non-coresidential partners, and more likely to live alone, with roommates, or in smaller households.
www.demographic-research.org/articles/vol...
Call for applications: European Doctoral School of Demography (EDSD) 2026-2027
To be held at @mpidr.bsky.social and @sghwarsaweu.bsky.social
Application deadline: 27 March 2026 at 12 PM (noon)
Program start: 1 September 2026
Scholarships are available
Details: eaps.nl/edsd/how-to-...
Do open lists increase turnout? Probably not, but they increase rates of voter error: New evidence from Spain Leonardo Carella Abstract This article challenges the claim that open-list systems are beneficial for electoral participation, by reassessing and extending the analysis in a notable empirical paper that advances this argument. The paper (Carlos Sanz, “The effect of electoral systems on voter turnout: Evidence from a natural experiment”, PSRM, 2017) leverages a population-based discontinuity in Spanish municipal elections (1979–2011), where towns with fewer than 250 residents employ open lists whereas larger towns employ closed lists. Through a series of statistical tests and the inspection of alternative data sources, I show that the positive effect of open lists on turnout estimated in the paper is dubious, for two reasons: (1) non-random missing data, due to inconsistencies in how non-valid votes were recorded above and below the threshold, and (2) compound treatment issues, due to changes in list-length requirements at the threshold. I then proceed to show that, rather than improving turnout, the more complex open-list ballot actually hinders voters’ ability to express their preferences, by increasing the incidence of voter errors relative to closed lists (reflected in higher rates of ‘null’ voting). To support a causal interpretation of this relationship, I present evidence from the analysis of heterogeneous treatment effects, and show that a similar pattern obtains in Spanish general elections, where open and closed lists are used concurrently for the election of the country’s bicameral parliament. I conclude by discussing the implications of the analysis for implementing population-based regression discontinuities and evaluating electoral system effects.
New paper out at @electoralstudies.bsky.social.
I show that - contrary to claims that personalised electoral systems are good for participation - Open Lists have no effect on turnout relative to Closed Lists; in fact, they increase rates of voter error. 🗳️
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
📢 New global study across 122 countries shows young people are redefining sexuality.
Led by Dr @francescorampazzo.com @socialstats.bsky.social, using data from 900k+ users, it finds rising identities like queer, pansexual & asexual among younger generations.
www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/y...
Exciting to see my research with @francescorampazzo.com get so much attention!
I also appreciate how this piece pushes against the misleading reporting from the Daily Mail that claimed our study shows that lesbians are “dying out.” As PinkNews points out, that’s a transphobic dog whistle.
New coverage of our global study on sexual identity and generational change, now on @pinknews.bsky.social.
@cantonwiner.bsky.social
Happy to have joined the @socialstats.bsky.social and honoured to be mentioned in the @manchester.ac.uk’s 2025 Faculty of Humanities highlights. Grateful to be part of such a stimulating research environment.
www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/h...
Our research with @cantonwiner.bsky.social and Milan Kovačič has also been reported by @advocate.com, providing another perspective on the findings.
Work based in the @socialstats.bsky.social Department of Social Statistics at the University of Manchester @manchester.ac.uk.
Screenshot of Daily Mail headline: “The term lesbian is dying out: Gen Z are opting for more modern identities including queer, pansexual, or asexual, study finds.”
The @dailymail.co.uk just reported on my research.
But their framing is wrong.
Lesbian identities aren’t “dying out.”
So-called “new” identities (like pansexual, queer, asexual, etc.) aren’t “replacing” older ones. They’re adding to the ways people can plug into queerness.
My co-author @francescorampazzo.com (the lead author of the study) puts it well here.
Lesbians aren’t “disappearing.” They’re just getting more company!
Nice to see our (with @cantonwiner.bsky.social and Milan Kovačič) research reaching a broader readership via the @dailymail.co.uk. Our findings speak to increasing diversity of identities among younger users, rather than the disappearance of any one label.
www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/...
🏳️🌈 New global study led by @uomsoss.bsky.social has found that younger generations around the world are redefining how they understand sexual identity.
🔗Read more: www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/y...
🧵1/
Sexual orientation on Zoe: A global analysis of a lesbian dating app doi.org/10.4054/DemR... New paper in @demresjournal.bsky.social by @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social Associate Member @francescorampazzo.com, Canton Winer, and Milan Kovačič
Asexuality is a global identity.
That’s a major finding in a study I recently published with @francescorampazzo.com in Demographic Research.
Analyzing dating app data spanning 162 countries from over 900,000 users, we found that asexuality showed up in every age group and in every region.
An early Christmas gift from @demresjournal.bsky.social: new publication with @cantonwiner.bsky.social and Milan Kovačič on sexuality using dating app data. A great example of how social scientists and industry can collaborate to produce global, inclusive research.
What is your Spotify age?
“Age is just a number, so don’t take it personally.” Great to see Spotify assigning a ‘demographic age’ based on the music users listen to.
My department at the University of @manchester.ac.uk is recruiting a permanent Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence to join @socialstats.bsky.social. We’re looking for candidates whose work connects AI with the social sciences. Applications close 5 January 2026. More details here:
Listening to the Henley & Partners Global Citizenship Conference after Rachel Reeves’ announcement, with @pjtheeconomist.bsky.social, James Quarmby and Dan Neidle, was a reminder that even small migration shifts can shape economies. We need good data to understand these impacts.
If you’re into population pyramids of intentions (+ other nice plots, + more), this one’s for you.
With K. Schwanitz, @vferraretto.bsky.social & @agnese-vitali.bsky.social, we explore how young Europeans plan adulthood using @ggp.bsky.social + @ess-survey.bsky.social data.
doi.org/10.12765/CPo...
📣 Job alert! 📣 2 fully funded PhD positions in sociology/demography in the ERC Starting Grant SeRO, which studies the impact of local violent crime on sexual and reproductive health in Mexico. Please share and apply!
PhD post 1: su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
PhD post 2: su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
Thank you!
Thanks!
I might go for that option (or Mamucium - how many times do you think of the Roman Empire?). Thanks!
Thanks, Will!
Oh, interesting! Thanks
Thanks Joseph! Ah, I always go for the latter.
