I am Gina Aniano, a PhD in Political Science at the University of Barcelona and a Predoctoral Researcher for the COMPROMISE Project (PI: Macarena Ares) with additional supervision from Jordi Muñoz. I am affiliated with the Institutions and Political Economy Research Center (IPERC) and the Q-Dem Research Group.

My research focuses on political socialization and how formative political experiences shape support for democracy, authoritarian values, and far-right politics, with broader interests in political behavior and comparative politics. 

My PhD thesis consists of three papers examining how political attitudes are shaped by formative experiences, transmitted across generations, and become politically activated. The first paper (co-authored with Anja Neundorf) studies the role of formative erosion for the formation of democratic attitudes. The second examines whether being raised with an authoritarian parenting style can act as a pathway to persistent authoritarian values. The third uses a novel between-subjects vignette experiment to examine how mainstream party strategies towards the far-right produces partisan-motivated reasoning among voters. Methodologically, I rely on a range of cross-sectional observational data, panel data, and survey experiments.

In January 2027, I will conduct a research stay within CEVIPOF at SciencesPo Paris. Additionally, I have conducted research stays at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin as part of the DYNAMICS program, as well as at the University of Glasgow within the College of Social Sciences. 

For more information about my research, please visit my CV [here] or contact me at ginaaniano@ub.edu.