Konstantin Schmandt is a social scientist with a background in psychology. He obtained his Research Master in Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Groningen, where he applied social psychological and sociological approaches to study political phenomena. His research interests include affective polarization, public opinion, institutional legitimacy, meritocracy and economic inequality.
His Master’s thesis involved a randomized survey experiment on discourse behavior and self-censorship dynamics in political discussions in the U.S. Before joining NIDI, he briefly worked at the University of Vienna on the role of emotions in political communication.
At NIDI, Konstantin was a junior researcher in the Generations and Gender Programme, contributing to fieldwork operations, and gaining experience in demography and research infrastructure management.
As of September 2026 he is no longer employed at NIDI.
Expertise
Polarization, social psychology, interdisciplinary approaches, quantitative analysis
