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Dr Jac Larner
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Jac Larner
Lecturer in Politics
Overview
I am a Lecturer in Politics at Cardiff University where I teach Political Behaviour and Research Methods.
My research uses a political psychology framework and survey data to answer questions about political behaviour and public opinion. My work examines how identities and values shape political attitudes and electoral choices across three interconnected research streams: National Identity and Electoral Behaviour, Disability and Political Psychology, and Candidate Authenticity. I’m a firm believer in the importance of making this research accessible to the public and I regularly contribute analysis on Welsh and UK politics.
I am affiliated with the Wales Governance Centre in the School of Law and Politics, the co-founder of Cardiff University's 'Bad Attitudes Lab', and through my work with the Scottish Election Study I am a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. Previously, I was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Michigan’s Center for Political Studies (Institute for Social Research). My research is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust.
At Cardiff I lead teaching on courses focusing on political psychology, research methods, elections, and devolved politics.
Publication
2026
- Henderson, A. et al., 2026. The devolved nations. In: Ford, R. et al., The British General Election of 2024. Palgrave Macmillan. , pp.193-228. (10.1007/978-3-031-95952-3_6)
2025
- Larner, J. et al. 2025. Political scandals and vertical contagion in multilevel systems. British Journal of Political Science 55 e154. (10.1017/S0007123425000043)
- Larner, J. M. and Wyn Jones, R. 2025. The 2024 UK General Election in Wales. Parliamentary Affairs 78 (Supple), pp.148-161. (10.1093/pa/gsaf030)
- Breitenstein, S. et al., 2025. The authentic a**hole: Candidate consistency, causality, and the vote. Polity: The Journal of the Northeastern Political Science Association 57 (2)(10.1086/734478)
- Prosser, T. , Larner, J. and Fernandez-Roldan, A. 2025. Self-interest, sociotropy and social policy. (10.2139/ssrn.5184051)
- Thorp, J. and Larner, J. 2025. Responsibility for impairment shapes the perceived deservingness of welfare claimants with disabilities. Political Psychology 46 (1), pp.105-128. (10.1111/pops.12978)
- Larner, J. and Wyn Jones, R. 2025. Wales. In: Convery, A. ed. UK Politics. London: Sage. , pp.253-270.
- Griffiths, J. D. et al., 2025. A false start: Votes-at-16 in Wales in the 2021 Welsh Parliament | Senedd Cymru election. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff: Wales Governance Centre. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/2894096/Votes-at-16-A-False-Start-PDF-Feb-2025.pdf.
2024
- Griffiths, J. D. et al. 2024. Making the case for more politicians: a survey experiment to investigate public attitudes to an expanded welsh parliament. Parliamentary Affairs 77 (2), pp.285-304. (10.1093/pa/gsad004)
- Larner, J. and Thorp, J. R. 2024. Vulnerability appeals in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from a national survey experiment. Journal of Experimental Political Science (10.1017/XPS.2024.14)
2023
- Larner, J. et al. 2023. Incumbency and identity: the 2021 Senedd election. Parliamentary Affairs 76 (4), pp.857-878. gsac012. (10.1093/pa/gsac012)
- Griffiths, J. et al. 2023. Diverging electoral fortunes in Scotland and Wales: National identities, national interests, and voting behaviour. Regional & Federal Studies 33 (4), pp.487-510. (10.1080/13597566.2023.2227952)
2022
- Henderson, A. et al., 2022. The referendum that changed a nation: Scottish voting behaviour 2014–2019. Palgrave Macmillan. (10.1007/978-3-031-16095-0)
2021
- Kenny, J. , Larner, J. and Lewis-Beck, M. 2021. Candidate authenticity and the Iowa Caucus. Electoral Studies (10.1016/j.electstud.2021.102390)
- Stiers, D. et al., 2021. Candidate authenticity: 'to thine own self be true'. Political Behavior 43 , pp.1181-1204. (10.1007/s11109-019-09589-y)
- Henderson, A. et al., 2021. Analysing vote choice in a multi-national state: national identity and territorial differentiation in the 2016 Brexit vote. Regional Studies 55 (9), pp.1502-1516. (10.1080/00343404.2020.1813883)
- Wyn Jones, R. W. and Larner, J. 2021. What about Wales? Brexit and the future of the UK. Discover Society 1 (2) 4. (10.51428/dsoc.2021.02.0004)
- Wyn Jones, R. and Larner, J. 2021. Progressive home rule?. IPPR Progressive Review 27 (3), pp.235-245. (10.1111/newe.12221)
2020
- Johns, R. et al., 2020. Brexit or independence? Scotland's general election. Political Insight 11 (1), pp.28-31. (10.1177/2041905820911745)
2019
- Larner, J. M. 2019. The multilevel voter: Identity, territory and electoral behaviour. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
2018
- Awan-Scully, R. et al. 2018. Unpacking diversity: Barriers and incentives to standing for election to the National Assembly for Wales.
- Stirbu, D. , Larner, J. and McAllister, L. 2018. Gender representation in Wales: new approaches to candidate selection in UK's devolved legislatures and beyond. In: Cordero, G. and Coller, X. eds. Democratizing Candidate Selection: New Methods, Old Receipts?. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. , pp.201-230. (10.1007/978-3-319-76550-1_9)
2017
- Scully, R. and Larner, J. 2017. A successful defence: the 2016 National Assembly for Wales election. Parliamentary Affairs 70 (3), pp.507-529. (10.1093/pa/gsw033)
Articles
- Larner, J. et al. 2025. Political scandals and vertical contagion in multilevel systems. British Journal of Political Science 55 e154. (10.1017/S0007123425000043)
- Larner, J. M. and Wyn Jones, R. 2025. The 2024 UK General Election in Wales. Parliamentary Affairs 78 (Supple), pp.148-161. (10.1093/pa/gsaf030)
- Breitenstein, S. et al., 2025. The authentic a**hole: Candidate consistency, causality, and the vote. Polity: The Journal of the Northeastern Political Science Association 57 (2)(10.1086/734478)
- Prosser, T. , Larner, J. and Fernandez-Roldan, A. 2025. Self-interest, sociotropy and social policy. (10.2139/ssrn.5184051)
- Thorp, J. and Larner, J. 2025. Responsibility for impairment shapes the perceived deservingness of welfare claimants with disabilities. Political Psychology 46 (1), pp.105-128. (10.1111/pops.12978)
- Griffiths, J. D. et al. 2024. Making the case for more politicians: a survey experiment to investigate public attitudes to an expanded welsh parliament. Parliamentary Affairs 77 (2), pp.285-304. (10.1093/pa/gsad004)
- Larner, J. and Thorp, J. R. 2024. Vulnerability appeals in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from a national survey experiment. Journal of Experimental Political Science (10.1017/XPS.2024.14)
- Larner, J. et al. 2023. Incumbency and identity: the 2021 Senedd election. Parliamentary Affairs 76 (4), pp.857-878. gsac012. (10.1093/pa/gsac012)
- Griffiths, J. et al. 2023. Diverging electoral fortunes in Scotland and Wales: National identities, national interests, and voting behaviour. Regional & Federal Studies 33 (4), pp.487-510. (10.1080/13597566.2023.2227952)
- Kenny, J. , Larner, J. and Lewis-Beck, M. 2021. Candidate authenticity and the Iowa Caucus. Electoral Studies (10.1016/j.electstud.2021.102390)
- Stiers, D. et al., 2021. Candidate authenticity: 'to thine own self be true'. Political Behavior 43 , pp.1181-1204. (10.1007/s11109-019-09589-y)
- Henderson, A. et al., 2021. Analysing vote choice in a multi-national state: national identity and territorial differentiation in the 2016 Brexit vote. Regional Studies 55 (9), pp.1502-1516. (10.1080/00343404.2020.1813883)
- Wyn Jones, R. W. and Larner, J. 2021. What about Wales? Brexit and the future of the UK. Discover Society 1 (2) 4. (10.51428/dsoc.2021.02.0004)
- Wyn Jones, R. and Larner, J. 2021. Progressive home rule?. IPPR Progressive Review 27 (3), pp.235-245. (10.1111/newe.12221)
- Johns, R. et al., 2020. Brexit or independence? Scotland's general election. Political Insight 11 (1), pp.28-31. (10.1177/2041905820911745)
- Scully, R. and Larner, J. 2017. A successful defence: the 2016 National Assembly for Wales election. Parliamentary Affairs 70 (3), pp.507-529. (10.1093/pa/gsw033)
Book sections
- Henderson, A. et al., 2026. The devolved nations. In: Ford, R. et al., The British General Election of 2024. Palgrave Macmillan. , pp.193-228. (10.1007/978-3-031-95952-3_6)
- Larner, J. and Wyn Jones, R. 2025. Wales. In: Convery, A. ed. UK Politics. London: Sage. , pp.253-270.
- Stirbu, D. , Larner, J. and McAllister, L. 2018. Gender representation in Wales: new approaches to candidate selection in UK's devolved legislatures and beyond. In: Cordero, G. and Coller, X. eds. Democratizing Candidate Selection: New Methods, Old Receipts?. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. , pp.201-230. (10.1007/978-3-319-76550-1_9)
Books
- Henderson, A. et al., 2022. The referendum that changed a nation: Scottish voting behaviour 2014–2019. Palgrave Macmillan. (10.1007/978-3-031-16095-0)
Monographs
- Griffiths, J. D. et al., 2025. A false start: Votes-at-16 in Wales in the 2021 Welsh Parliament | Senedd Cymru election. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff: Wales Governance Centre. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/2894096/Votes-at-16-A-False-Start-PDF-Feb-2025.pdf.
- Awan-Scully, R. et al. 2018. Unpacking diversity: Barriers and incentives to standing for election to the National Assembly for Wales.
Thesis
- Larner, J. M. 2019. The multilevel voter: Identity, territory and electoral behaviour. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Research
I conduct research in public opinion, political psychology, and political behaviour in the United Kingdom and other advanced democracies. My work examines how identities and values shape political attitudes and electoral choices across three interconnected research streams: National Identity and Electoral Behaviour, Disability and Political Psychology, and Candidate Authenticity.
National Identity and Electoral Behaviour
As Project co-Lead on the Scottish Election Study and former co-Investigator of the Welsh Election Study , I investigate how national identity interacts with other social identities and value systems to influence voting behaviour and policy preferences. This work provides insights into the dynamics of multi-level governance and the political consequences of devolution in the UK.
Disability and Political Psychology
I examine how disability status shapes political identity formation, policy attitudes, and support for redistribution. This research challenges conventional assumptions about disability politics by demonstrating how perceptions of deservingness condition public support for welfare programs, even for stereotypically “deserving” groups like people with disabilities.
Candidate Authenticity
Working with colleagues, I have developed new measures to assess perceived candidate authenticity and its influence on voter decision-making. The goal here is to advance our understanding of how non-policy factors affect electoral outcomes in contemporary democracies.
Grants & Awards
- Larner, J. & Wyn Jones, R. (2025) ’Welsh Election Reform Panel’, ESRC Direct Award. Amount:
£100,000. (As Project-Lead) - Henderon, A., Johns, R., Carman, C. Eichhorn, J., McMillan, F. & Larner, J. (2025) ’The 2026 Scottish
Election Study’, ESRC Amount: £1,500,000. (As Co-Investigator) - Wyn Jones, R., Larner, J.(2023) ’The 2021 Welsh Election Study - EXTENSION’. ESRC Grant
Number: ES/V009559/1 Amount: £100,000. (As Co-Investigator) - Larner, J. (2023) ‘British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant’ Amount: £9,988
- Kenny, J., Larner, J., Stiers, D., & Breitenstein, S. (2022) ‘EPOP/YouGov Survey Award’ Amount:
£5,000 - Wyn Jones, R., Larner, J., Surridge, P., Wincott, D. & Poole, E. G. (2021) ’The 2021 Welsh Election
Study’. ESRC Grant Number: ES/V009559/1 Amount: £622,967. (As Co-Investigator) - Devine, D., Larner, J., Turnbull-Dugarte, S. & Jennings, W. (2020) ‘Implementation of a Single
Transferable Voting system for local elections in Wales’ Welsh Government Grant. Amount: £29,433. - Larner J. (2018) Fulbright Postgraduate All-Disciplines Award. Amount: $40,000.
Teaching
Below are a list of course I am currently teaching on. For previous teaching please see CV.
Undergraduate teaching
- Elections in the UK (3rd Year)
- Political Psychology (2nd Year)
- Doing Political Research (2nd Year)
- Introduction to Political Science (1st Year)
Masters teaching
- Contemporary Welsh Politics
- Devolution and Public Policy in Wales
Supervisions
- Political behaviour and attitudes
- Devolved politics and national identity
- Politics of deservingness
Current supervision
Contact Details
Research themes
Specialisms
- Political science
- Political Psychology
- Public Attitudes
- Survey Experiments
- National Identity
