POLPOP III refers to the second round of surveys undertaken as part of the ERC-funded POLEVPOP project. In 2025, researchers in 15 different countries will survey and interview full-time politicians. The project will also undertake a parallel survey of citizens in these countries in order to benchmark politicians’ responses.

POLPOP III builds on the findings from previous rounds. In particular, it shifts the focus to understand more about the dynamic process of politicians’ evaluations of and responses to public opinion. Among modules on various aspects of public opinion, this survey round focuses on the following questions:

·         The accuracy of politicians’ perceptions of the direction of change in public opinion

·         Politicians’ perceptions of their ability to change public opinion

·         How differences in the source and tone of communications affect their evaluation of such information, and their evaluation of opinion poll data

·         To what extent politicians agree with citizens on the most persuasive arguments in favor or against particular policies

·         What are the circumstances under which politicians and citizens think it is most excusable to break pledges

The project is funded by the European Union in the framework of an ERC Advanced Grant “How politicians evaluate public opinion”. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.