Books
Peer-reviewed articles (#72)
Nai, A., van Erkel, P. A. F., & Bos, L. (2025). Turning up and down the partisan heat. Voters’ psychological profile and changes in negative radical partisanship over the course of an election. Electoral Studies, 95, 102926.
Aaldering, L., Ferreira da Silva, Garzia, D., Gattermann, K., & Nai, A. (2025). Leader effects in an era of negative politics: who has a negativity bias? Politics & Governance, 13, 9187.
Valli, C., Gravelle, T. B., Nai., A., Medeiros, M., Murri, C., & Eugster, B. (2025). The Mosque Next Door: How the Visibility of Mosques Influences Support for the Far-Right and Anti-Immigration Initiatives. Political Behavior. doi: /10.1007/s11109-025-10021-x
Nai, A., Ferreira da Silva, F., Aaldering, L., Gattermann, K., & Garzia, D. (2025). Ripping the Public Apart? Politicians’ Dark Personality and Affective Polarization. European Journal of Political Research. doi: 10.1111/1475-6765.70002
Stier, S., Oschatz, C., Clemm von Hohenberg, B., Maier, J., Nai., A., & Kirkizh, N. (2025). When Do Candidates “Go Negative”? A Conjoint Analysis to Unpack the Mechanisms of Negative Campaigning. Electoral Studies. doi: 10.1016/j.electstud.2024.102894
Nai, A., Valli, C., Maier, J., & Aaldering, L. (2024). Gendered Backlash Depends on the Context. Reassessing Negative Campaigning Sanctions Against Women Candidates via Large-Scale Comparative Data. Political Communication. doi: 10.1080/10584609.2024.2434930
Maier, J., Nai, A., & Verhaar, N. (2024). More Negative When It Matters Less? Comparing Party Campaign Behaviour in European and National Elections. Journal of European Public Policy. doi: 10.1080/13501763.2024.2404154
Casiraghi, M., Curini, & Nai, A. (2024). “I trust you, but I’m scared!” Attitudinal and emotional drivers of support for restrictive interventions during crises. Political Psychology. doi: 10.1111/pops.13021
Nai, A., van Erkel, P. A. F., & Bos, L. (2024). Violence against politicians drives support for political violence among (some) voters. Evidence from a natural experiment. Public Opinion Quarterly (forthcoming).
Mancosu, M., Bobba, G., Seddone, A., Vegetti, F., & Nai, A. (2024). Investigating media populism worldwide. Journalism Studies. doi: 10.1080/1461670X.2024.2415423
Nai, A., & Young, E. L. (2024). They Choose Violence. Dark Personality Traits Drive Support for Politically Motivated Violence in Five Democracies. Personality and Individual Differences, 230, 112794.
Nai, A., & Maier, J. (2024). Polarized populists. Dark campaigns, affective polarization, and the moderating role of populist attitudes. American Behavioral Scientist. doi: 10.1177/000276422412420
Vargiu, C., Nai, A., & Valli, C. (2024). Uncivil Yet Persuasive? Testing the Persuasiveness of Political Incivility and the Moderating Role of Populist Attitudes and Personality Traits. Political Psychology. doi: 10.1111/pops.12969
Vargiu, C., Nai, A., & Garzia, D. (2024). Incivility Does Not Exist: An Experimental Assessment on the Drivers of Incivility Perceptions and their Effects on Candidate Evaluations. The Journal of Politics (in-principle acceptance of stage-1 registered report).
Mendoza, P., Nai, A., & Bos, L. (2024). The fleeting allure of dark campaigns. Backlash from negative campaigning in presence of (better) alternatives. Political Communication. doi: 10.1080/10584609.2024.2314604
Martin, D., & Nai, A. (2024). Deepening the Rift: Negative Campaigning Fosters Affective Polarization in Multiparty Elections. Electoral Studies. doi: 10.1016/j.electstud.2024.102745
Casiraghi, M., Curini, L., Maggini, N., & Nai, A. (2023). Who looks up to the Leviathan? Ideology, political trust, and support for restrictive state interventions in times of crisis. European Political Science Review. doi: 10.1017/S1755773923000401
Nai, A., Aaldering, L., Ferreira da Silva, F., Garzia, D., & Gattermann, K. (2023). The Dark Side of the Mood. Candidate Evaluation, Voter Perceptions, and the Driving Role of (Dark) Personality Traits. Electoral Studies, 86, 102715.
Nai, A., & Maier, J. (2023). Mediatized campaign attacks fuel affective polarization if perceived as negative. Experimental evidence with American voters. International Journal of Communication. 17, 5246–5267.
Zugravu, A., Medeiros, M., & Nai, A. (2023). A Tormenting Dilemma: American Identity and Attitudes towards Torture. American Politics Research. doi: 10.1177/1532673X231173917
Valli, C., & Nai, A. (2023). Dispositioned to resist? The Big Five and resistance to dissonant political views. Personality and Individual Differences. 207, 112152.
Casiraghi, M., Curini, L., & Nai, A. (2023). Populism in the Eye of the Beholder? A Conjoint Experiment on Citizens’ Identification of Populists. European Journal of Political Research. doi: 10.1111/1475-6765.12589
Nai, A., Schemeil, Y., & Valli, C. (2023). A Persuadable Type? Personality Traits, Dissonant Information, and Political Persuasion. International Journal of Communication. 17, 1061-1082.
Tatum, A., & Nai, A. (2022). Entitled and self-conscious? The ego-centric underpinnings of electoral preferences during the 2020 U.S. election. Research & Politics. doi: 10.1177/20531680221145554
Nai, A., Young, E., & Bos, L. (2022). Pop Populism: Ethno-Traditionalism Beyond National Borders and the Populist Radical Right. Acta Politica. doi: 10.1057/s41269-022-00262-7
Medeiros, M., Nai, A., Erman, A, & Young, E. (2022). Personality traits of world leaders and differential policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Science & Medicine. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115358
Vargiù, C., & Nai, A. (2022). Sincerity over Accuracy: Epistemic Preferences and the Persuasiveness of Uncivil and Simple Rhetoric. International Journal of Communication. 16, 4457–4480.
Valli, C., & Nai, A. (2022). Let Me Think About It: Cognitive Elaboration and Strategies of Resistance to Political Persuasion. Media Psychology. doi: 10.1080/15213269.2022.2098774
Nai, A., Tresch, A., & Maier, J. (2022). Tailored negativity. Campaign consultants, candidates’ personality, and attack politics in the 2019 Swiss election. Swiss Political Science Review. doi: 10.1111/spsr.12525
Nai. A. (2022). Populist voters like dark politicians. Personality and Individual Differences. 187, 111412.
Nai, A., Tresch, A., & Maier, J. (2022). Hardwired to attack. Candidates’ personality traits and negative campaigning in three European countries. Acta Politica. doi: 10.1057/s41269-021-00222-7
Petkevic, V., & Nai, A. (2021). Political Attacks in 280 Characters or Less. A New Tool for the Automated Classification of Campaign Negativity on Social Media. American Politics Research. doi: 10.1177/1532673X211055676
Gravelle, T. B., Medeiros, M., Nai, A. (2021). In the Shadow of the Tower: Spatial proximity to mosques, visible diversity, and support for the radical right. Political Geography. doi: 10.1016/j.polgeo.2021.102499
Verhulsdonk, I., Nai, A., & Karp, J. (2021). Are Political Attacks a Laughing Matter? Three Experiments on Political Humor and the Effectiveness of Negative Campaigning. Political Research Quarterly. doi: 10.1177/10659129211023590
Nai, A., & Maier, J. (2021). The Wrath of Candidates. Drivers of Fear and Enthusiasm Appeals in Election Campaigns Across the Globe. Journal of Political Marketing. doi: doi: 10.1080/15377857.2021.1930327
Maier, J., & Nai, A. (2021). When conflict fuels negativity. A large-scale comparative investigation of the contextual drivers of negative campaigning in elections worldwide. The Leadership Quarterly. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101564
Nai, A., Medeiros, M., Maier, M., Maier, J., (2021). Euroscepticism and the use of negative, uncivil and emotional campaigns in the 2019 European Parliament Election: A Winning Combination. European Union Politics. doi: 10.1177/14651165211035675
Maier, M., Jalali, C., Maier, J., Nai, A., & Stier, S. (2021). When do parties put Europe in the center? Evidence from the 2019 European Parliamentary election campaign. Politics. doi: 10.1177/02633957211008348
Maier, J., & Nai, A. (2021). Mapping the drivers of negative campaigning. Insights from a candidate survey. International Political Science Review. doi: 10.1177/0192512121994512
Nai, A., Maier, J., & Vranic, J. (2021). Personality goes a long way (for some). An experimental investigation into candidate personality traits, voters’ profile, and perceived likeability. Frontiers in Political Science. doi: 10.3389/fpos.2021.636745
Nai, A., & Maier, J. (2020). Teflon Trump? Shifting public perceptions of Donald Trump’s personality traits across four studies over eighteen months. International Journal of Public Opinion Research. doi: 10.1093/ijpor/edaa030
Nai, A., & Maier, J. (2020). Dark necessities? Candidates’ aversive personality traits and negative campaigning in the 2018 American Midterms. Electoral Studies. doi: 10.1016/j.electstud.2020.102233
Nai, A., & Maier, J. (2020). Is negative campaigning a matter of taste? Political attacks, incivility, and the moderating role of individual differences. American Politics Research. doi: 10.1177/1532673X20965548
Nai, A., & Otto, L. (2020). When they go low, we gloat. How trait and state Schadenfreude moderate the perception and effect of negative political messages. Journal of Media Psychology. doi: 10.1027/1864-1105/a000283
Valli, C., & Nai, A. (2020). Attack politics from Albania to Zimbabwe. A large-scale comparative study on the drivers of negative campaigning. International Political Science Review. doi: 10.1177/0192512120946410
Maier, J., & Nai, A. (2020). Roaring candidates in the spotlight. Campaign negativity, emotions, and media coverage in 107 national elections. The International Journal of Press/Politics. doi: 10.1177/1940161220919093
Seeberg, H. B., & Nai, A. (2020). Undermining a rival party’s issue competence through negative campaigning: Experimental evidence from the USA, Denmark, and Australia. Political Studies. doi: 10.1177/0032321720916162
Nai, A. (2020). The Trump paradox: How cues from a disliked source foster resistance to persuasion. Politics & Governance, 8(1), 122-132.
Nai, A., & Toros, E. (2020). The peculiar personality of strongmen: Big Five and Dark Triad traits of political leaders worldwide. Political Research Exchange, 2(1): 1-24.
Nai, A. (2019). The electoral success of angels and demons. Big Five, Dark Triad, and Performance at the Ballot Box. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 7(2), 830–862.
Gerstlé, J., & Nai, A. (2019). Negativity, emotionality and populist rhetoric in election campaigns worldwide, and their effects on media attention and electoral success. European Journal of Communication, 34(4) 410–444.
Nai, A., & Maier, J. (2019). Can anyone be objective about Donald Trump? Assessing the personality of political figures. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion & Parties. doi: 10.1080/17457289.2019.1632318
Nai, A., & Martinez i Coma, F. (2019). Losing in the polls, time pressure, and the decision to go negative in referendum campaigns. Politics & Governance, 7(2), 278–296.
Nai, A., & Martinez i Coma, F. (2019). The personality of populists: Provocateurs, charismatic leaders, or drunken dinner guests? West European Politics, 42(7), 1337-1367.
Nai, A., & Sciarini, P. (2018). Why 'going negative'? Strategic and situational determinants of personal attacks in Swiss direct democratic votes. Journal of Political Marketing, 17(4), 382-417.
Nai, A., Martinez i Coma, F., and Maier, J. (2018). Donald Trump, populism, and the age of extremes: Comparing the personality traits and campaigning style of Trump and other leaders worldwide. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 49(3), 609–643.
* recipient of the Top Cited Paper Award 2019-2020
* recipient of the Wiley Top Downloaded Paper Award 2018-2019
Disagreeable narcissists, extroverted psychopaths, and elections: A new dataset to measure the personality of candidates worldwide. European Political Science, 18(2), 309–334. Nai, A. (2018).
Nai, A. (2018). Going negative, worldwide. Towards a general understanding of determinants and targets of negative campaigning. Government & Opposition. doi: 10.1017/gov.2018.32
Nai, A. (2018). Fear and loathing in populist campaigns? Comparing the communication style of populists and non-populists in elections worldwide. Journal of Political Marketing. doi: 10.1080/15377857.2018.1491439
Karp, J., Nai, A., & Norris, P. (2018). Dial ‘F’ for Fraud: Explaining Citizens Suspicions about Elections. Electoral Studies, DOI: 10.1016/j.electstud.2018.01.010.
Nai, A., & Seeberg, HB. (2018). A series of persuasive events. Sequencing effects of negative and positive messages on party evaluations and perceptions of negativity. Journal of Marketing Communications, 24(4): 412-432.
Nai, A., & Maier, J. (2018). Perceived personality and campaign style of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Personality and Individual Differences, 121: 80-83.
Martinez i Coma, F., & Nai, A. (2017). Ethnic diversity decreases turnout. Comparative evidence from over 650 elections around the world. Electoral Studies, DOI: 10.1016/j.electstud.2017.07.002.
Nai, A., Schemeil, Y., & Marie, J.-L. (2017). Anxiety, Sophistication, and Resistance to Persuasion: Evidence from a Quasi-experimental Survey on Global Climate Change. Political Psychology, 38(1): 137-156.
Nai, A. (2015). The maze and the mirror: Voting correctly in direct democracy. Social Science Quarterly, 96(2): 465-486.
Sciarini, P., Lanz, S. & Nai, A. (2015). Till immigration do us part? Public opinion and the dilemma between immigration control and bilateral agreements. Swiss Political Science Review, 21(2): 271–286.
Lanz, S. & Nai, A. (2015). Vote as you think: Determinants of consistent decision-making in direct democracy. Swiss Political Science Review, 21(1): 119-139.
Nai, A. (2014). The Cadillac, the mother-in-law, and the ballot: individual and contextual roots of ambivalence in Swiss direct democracy. Electoral Studies, 33: 292-306.
Nai, A. (2013). What really matters is which camp goes dirty. Differential effects of negative campaigning on turnout during Swiss federal ballots. European Journal of Political Research, 52(1): 44-70.
Giugni, M., & Nai, A. (2013). Paths towards consensus: Explaining decision-making in the Swiss Global Justice Movement. Swiss Political Science Review, 19(1): 26-40.
Cinalli, M., Giugni, M., & Nai, A. (2010). Political participation and protests of migrants: comparing the role of political opportunities across nine cities in Europe. Italian Political Science Review, 3: 397-422.
Nai, A., & Lloren, A. (2009). Intérêt spécifique et comportement politique des citoyennes suisses (1999-2005). Swiss Political Science Review, 15(1): 99-132.