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Amsterdam School of Communication Research / ASCoR ASCoR

P.F.A. (Patrick) van Erkel

Assistant professor
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
CW : Docenten & onderzoekers CW
Visiting address
  • Nieuwe Achtergracht 166
Postal address
  • Postbus 15791
    1001 NG Amsterdam
Contact details
Social media
  • Profile

    I am an Assistant Professor of Political Communication and Journalism at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR). I hold a PhD in political science from the University of Antwerp (2017).
    My research agenda is situated in the fields of political communication and political behavior. Particularly, I am interested in how political news and information, both in traditional media and on social media, affect citizens’ political attitudes and behavior, focusing on topics such as (affective) polarization, political knowledge, and mis- and disinformation. Currently, I am also involved in the ThreatPie project. A NORFACE funded research project that examines the prevalence, consequences and solutions to three current threats to the political information environment, namely 1) news avoidance, 2) selective exposure, and 3) mis- and disinformation. Find out more about the ThreatPie project here. My work has appeared in journals such as Political Communication, the Journal of Press/Politics, the European Journal of Political Research, and Electoral Studies. 

    Expertise and research fields

    • Polarisation
    • Political and electoral behavior
    • Political knowledge
    • Public opinion
    • Mis- and disinformation
       
  • Research

    Research methods

    • Survey research
    • Experiments

    Current research projects

    The Threats and Potentials of a Changing Political Information Environment (THREATPIE): This project investigates the prevalence of and solutions to three threats to the political information environment; 1) news avoidance, 2) selective exposure, and 3) disinformation. 

     

  • Teaching & PhD supervision

    Courses

    • Statistische Modellen voor Communicatieonderzoek
    • Quantitative Research for Communication Science
    • Citizens and Public Opinion
    • Master's thesis supervision
       
  • Publications

    2024

    • Thijssen, P., van Dijk, R., & van Erkel, P. (2024). Exploring the effect of personalized voting on affective polarization: Prototypical leadership and campaign effects. Acta Politica. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41269-023-00319-1
    • Tulin, M., Hameleers, M., de Vreese, C. H., Corbu, N., van Erkel, P. F. A., Esser, F., Gehle, L., Halagiera, D., Hopmann, D. N., Koc-Michalska, K., Matthes, J., Mihelj, S., Schemer, C., Stetka, V., Stromback, J., Terren, L., & Theocharis, Y. (2024). Why do Citizens Choose to Read Fact-Checks in the Context of the Russian War in Ukraine? The Role of Directional and Accuracy Motivations in Nineteen Democracies. The International Journal of Press/Politics. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612241233533
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., & Van Aelst, P. (2024). Social media and affective polarization: does Facebook news use fuel political in- and out-group affect in a multi-party context? Acta Politica. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41269-023-00324-4
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., Hopmann, D. N., Skovsgaard, M., & Terren, L. (2024). The Role of Consent Form Design Under GDPR: A Survey Experiment. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 36(1), Article edad047. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edad047
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., van Aelst, P., de Vreese, C. H., Hopmann, D. N., Matthes, J., Stanyer, J., & Corbu, N. (2024). When are Fact-Checks Effective? An Experimental Study on the Inclusion of the Misinformation Source and the Source of Fact-Checks in 16 European Countries. Mass Communication and Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2024.2321542

    2023

    • Hameleers, M., Tulin, M., de Vreese, C. H., Aalberg, T., Van Aelst, P., Cardenal, A. S., Corbu, N., van Erkel, P. F. A., Esser, F., Gehle, L., Halagiera, D., Hopmann, D., Koc-Michalska, K., Matthes, J., Meltzer, C., Mihelj, S., Schemer, C., Sheafer, T., Splendore, S., ... Zoizner, A. (2023). Mistakenly misinformed or intentionally deceived? Mis‐ and Disinformation perceptions on the Russian War in Ukraine among citizens in 19 countries. European Journal of Political Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12646
    • Michel, E., Feitosa, F., Lefevere, J., Pilet, J. B., van Erkel, P., & van Haute, E. (2023). Studying dimensions of representation: introducing the Belgian RepResent panel (2019–2021). European Political Science. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41304-023-00430-z
    • Soontjens, K., & van Erkel, P. F. A. (2023). 'Mijn' nieuwsmedium benadeelt 'mijn' partij: Het beeld van partijdigheid bij Vlaamse burgers. In K. Soontjens, K. Beckers, & A. Van Remoortere (Eds.), Journalistiek uit balans?: Inhoud, percepties, en gevolgen van partijdigheid van de Vlaamse media (pp. 49-61). ASP.
    • van Der Meer, T. W. G., & van Erkel, P. F. A. (2023). Moving beyond the political trust crisis debate: Residual analyses to understand trends in political trust. European Journal of Political Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12645
    • van Erkel, P. F. A. (2023). The odd one out: The influence of ideological positioning on individual electoral success. Party Politics, 29(1), 65–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/13540688211050065
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., & Soontjens, K. (2023). De effecten van mediakritiek door politici op burgers. In K. Soontjens, K. Beckers, & A. Van Remoortere (Eds.), Journalistiek uit balans? : Inhoud, percepties, en gevolgen van partijdigheid van de Vlaamse media (pp. 97-111). ASP.

    2022

    2021

    • Praet, S., Van Aelst, P., van Erkel, P., Van der Veeken, S., & Martens, D. (2021). Predictive modeling to study lifestyle politics with Facebook likes. EPJ Data Science, 10(1), Article 50. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-021-00305-7
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., & Van Aelst, P. (2021). Why Don’t We Learn from Social Media? Studying Effects of and Mechanisms behind Social Media News Use on General Surveillance Political Knowledge. Political Communication, 38(4), 407-425. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2020.1784328

    2020

    2019

    • Van Erkel, P. F. A. (2019). Sharing is caring: The role of voter-candidate similarities in intra-party electoral competition. European Political Science Review, 11(1), 57-74. https://doi.org/10.1017/S175577391800022X

    2018

    • Lesschaeve, C., Van Erkel, P. F. A., & Meulewaeter, C. (2018). Thinking alike: Two pathways to leadership-candidate opinion congruence. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 28(4), 488-515. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2018.1425693
    • Thijssen, P., Wauters, B., & van Erkel, P. F. A. (2018). Preferential voting in local versus national elections: The role of proximity revisited. In K. Deschouwer (Ed.), Mind the gap: Political participation and representation in Belgium (pp. 275-293). ECPR Press.

    2017

    • Dejaeghere, Y., & van Erkel, P. (2017). The importance of issue-ownership and salience for voters’ knowledge of parties’ issue positions. Electoral Studies, 46, 15-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2016.11.020
    • Nagtzaam, M. A. M., & van Erkel, P. F. A. (2017). Preference votes without preference? Institutional effects on preference voting: an experiment. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 27(2), 172-191. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2016.1243542
    • Van Aelst, P., van Erkel, P., D’heer, E., & Harder, R. A. (2017). Who is leading the campaign charts? Comparing individual popularity on old and new media. Information Communication and Society, 20(5), 715-732. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2016.1203973
    • Van Erkel, P. F. A., Thijssen, P., & Van Aelst, P. (2017). One for all or all for one: The electoral effects of personalized campaign strategies. Acta Politica, 52(3), 384-405. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41269-016-0034-9

    2016

    • van Erkel, P. F. A., & Thijssen, P. (2016). The first one wins: Distilling the primacy effect. Electoral Studies, 44, 245-254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2016.09.002
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., & van der Meer, T. W. G. (2016). Macro-economic performance, political trust, and the Great Recession: A multilevel analysis of the effects of within-country fluctuations in macroeconomic performance on political trust in 15 EU countries, 1999-2011. European Journal of Political Research, 55(1), 177-197. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12115 [details]
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., & van der Meer, T. W. G. (2016). Macro-economische prestaties, politiek vertrouwen en de economische crisis. Res Publica, 58(2), 251-254. [details]

    2015

    2014

    • van Erkel, P. F. A., Thijssen, P., & Van Aelst, P. (2014). Vier ideologische dimensies; één breuklijn. Samenleving en politiek: tijdschrift voor een democratisch socialisme, 6, 36-44.

    2020

    • Walgrave, S., van Erkel, P. F. A., Jennart, I., Lefevere, J., & Baudewyns, P. (2020). Hoe het belang van thema’s kiezers naar links of rechts drijft. In J-B. Pilet, P. Baudewyns, K. Deschouwer, A. Kern, & J. Lefevere (Eds.), De Belgen Verheffen Hun Stem. Een analyse van het stemgedrag op 26 mei 2019 (pp. 105-124). Presses Universitaires de Louvain.
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., & Turkenburg, E. M. (2020). Andere standpunten, andere stemmen, ander sentiment? Affectieve polarisatie in de Belgische verkiezingen van 2019. In J-B. Pilet, P. Baudewyns, K. Deschouwer, A. Kern, & J. Lefevere (Eds.), De Belgen Verheffen Hun Stem. Een analyse van het stemgedrag op 26 mei 2019 (pp. 153-174). Presses Universitaires de Louvain.
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., Lefevere, J., Walgrave, S., Jennart, I., Kern, A., Marien, S., & Baudewyns, P. (2020). Verschuivingen voor of tijdens de campagne? Verschuivingen in partijkeuze tijdens de 2019 verkiezingen in België. In J-B. Pilet, P. Baudewyns, K. Deschouwer, A. K., & J. Lefevere (Eds.), De Belgen Verheffen Hun Stem. Een analyse van het stemgedrag op 26 mei 2019 (pp. 27-56). Presses Universitaires de Louvain.

    2023

    • van Erkel, P. F. A., Van Aelst, P., de Vreese, C. H., Hameleers, M., Hopmann, D., & van Nieuwenborgh, J. (2023). Combating disinformation with news literacy: An experimental study on the framing effects of news literacy messages. Paper presented at Responsible citizenship: communication, social and democratic transitions, Paris, France.
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., Van Aelst, P., de Vreese, C. H., Hameleers, M., van Nieuwenborgh, J., & Hopmann, D. (2023). Combating disinformation with news literacy: An experimental study on the framing effects of news literacy messages. Paper presented at ECREA PolComm 2023, Berlin, Germany.
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., Van Aelst, P., de Vreese, C. H., Hopmann, D., Matthes, J., Stanyer, J., & Corbu, N. (2023). When are fact-checks successful in countering misinformation? A cross-national experiment on the influence of the source and degree of politicization of fact-checks. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), 25-29 May 2023, Political Communication Division, Toronto, CA.

    2022

    • Van Aelst, P., van Erkel, P. F. A., Castro, L., Aalberg, T., Koc-Michalska, K., Stanyer, J., Esser, F., & Stromback, J. (2022). A cross-national and cross-temporal analysis of social media use on political knowledge: Do people learn?. Paper presented at ICA, Paris, France.
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., & Tsoulou-Malakoudi, A. (2022). Hate Thy Neighbor Like My Party Does? Negative Appeals in Elite Communications and Affective Polarization in Multiparty Systems. Paper presented at Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap.
    • van Erkel, P. F. A., Van Aelst, P., de Vreese, C. H., Hopmann, D. N., Matthes, J., & Stanyer, J. (2022). When are fact-checks successful in countering misinformation? A cross-national experiment on the influence of the source and degree of politicization of fact-checks. Paper presented at ECPR General Conference, Innsbruck, Austria.

    2017

    • van Erkel, P. F. A. (2017). Preferential votes: explaining individual electoral success in intra-party competition. [Thesis, fully external, University of Antwerp].
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