Len Metson
@lenmetson.com
PhD candidate @LSEGovernment 📚 Interested in campaigns, applied data science and field experiments 💻 he/him
🌐 lenmetson.com
🌐 lenmetson.com
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Len Metson
@lenmetson.com
· Sep 4
On my way to @psaepop.bsky.social to present this paper at the PhD pre-conference today at 1pm and the Campaigns panel on Friday at 4pm -
Looking forward to seeing everyone and hearing about lots of exciting research!
#EPOP2025
Looking forward to seeing everyone and hearing about lots of exciting research!
#EPOP2025
Reposted by Len Metson
New report: What should we do about mayoral scrutiny? www.mysociety.org/2025/11/18/m...
Mayoral scrutiny: building an ecosystem of accountability
New report: Building and supporting civic scrutiny of devolution
www.mysociety.org
November 18, 2025 at 10:39 AM
New report: What should we do about mayoral scrutiny? www.mysociety.org/2025/11/18/m...
Reposted by Len Metson
Imagine having a thumping majority in parliament and deciding to use it for something as squalid as this.
November 17, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Imagine having a thumping majority in parliament and deciding to use it for something as squalid as this.
Reposted by Len Metson
The UK outright engaged in stationary banditry, stealing from the poor to give to the rich, all in order to appease the most petty xenophobe bigots on earth. And I feel sure it won't even work on the Home Secretary's terms, ultimately all this will strengthen not weaken Reform.
The Sun has been told Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will on Monday propose confiscating jewellery, watches, necklaces from asylum seekers to meet asylum costs
This reflects the most controversial aspect of the Danish scheme - the Jewellery Law. The toughest Labour MPs thought this was OTT
This reflects the most controversial aspect of the Danish scheme - the Jewellery Law. The toughest Labour MPs thought this was OTT
November 17, 2025 at 7:44 AM
The UK outright engaged in stationary banditry, stealing from the poor to give to the rich, all in order to appease the most petty xenophobe bigots on earth. And I feel sure it won't even work on the Home Secretary's terms, ultimately all this will strengthen not weaken Reform.
Reposted by Len Metson
It becomes overly clear why #MeToo was considered such a threat by powerful men and why they have done everything to mock and discredit it.
November 13, 2025 at 1:57 PM
It becomes overly clear why #MeToo was considered such a threat by powerful men and why they have done everything to mock and discredit it.
Reposted by Len Metson
🚨 NEW in @bjpols.bsky.social : When Partygate hit Westminster, trust in Scottish politicians increased. Our experiments reveal a "contrast effect" - scandals at one level can make the other look better by comparison. Who lost most trust in Westminster? Scottish unionists. Read now #OpenAccess 👇
November 11, 2025 at 9:00 AM
🚨 NEW in @bjpols.bsky.social : When Partygate hit Westminster, trust in Scottish politicians increased. Our experiments reveal a "contrast effect" - scandals at one level can make the other look better by comparison. Who lost most trust in Westminster? Scottish unionists. Read now #OpenAccess 👇
Reposted by Len Metson
"While testing one dimension at a time can yield simple results, those effects may not generalise to richer, real-world contexts."
Read our new POAL Methods Briefs on Conjoint Experiments from Thomas Robinson!
Link: www.poal.co.uk/research/met...
Read our new POAL Methods Briefs on Conjoint Experiments from Thomas Robinson!
Link: www.poal.co.uk/research/met...
Public Opinion Analytics Lab
The website of the Public Opinion Analytics Lab
www.poal.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 8:47 AM
"While testing one dimension at a time can yield simple results, those effects may not generalise to richer, real-world contexts."
Read our new POAL Methods Briefs on Conjoint Experiments from Thomas Robinson!
Link: www.poal.co.uk/research/met...
Read our new POAL Methods Briefs on Conjoint Experiments from Thomas Robinson!
Link: www.poal.co.uk/research/met...
Reposted by Len Metson
📄 New WP version out - full overhaul!
The Politics of Evidence Selection (w/ @jesperasring.bsky.social )
Comments welcome!
🔗 osf.io/preprints/so...
The Politics of Evidence Selection (w/ @jesperasring.bsky.social )
Comments welcome!
🔗 osf.io/preprints/so...
November 6, 2025 at 3:30 PM
📄 New WP version out - full overhaul!
The Politics of Evidence Selection (w/ @jesperasring.bsky.social )
Comments welcome!
🔗 osf.io/preprints/so...
The Politics of Evidence Selection (w/ @jesperasring.bsky.social )
Comments welcome!
🔗 osf.io/preprints/so...
Reposted by Len Metson
The crucial bit of this tactical 'only Labour or Reform can win here' VI poll, though, is that Labour and Reform would be tied.
Not enough Lib Dem or Green voters are (right now) prepared to tactically vote for Labour to offset the number of Tories willing to tactically vote for Reform.
Not enough Lib Dem or Green voters are (right now) prepared to tactically vote for Labour to offset the number of Tories willing to tactically vote for Reform.
November 5, 2025 at 6:21 PM
The crucial bit of this tactical 'only Labour or Reform can win here' VI poll, though, is that Labour and Reform would be tied.
Not enough Lib Dem or Green voters are (right now) prepared to tactically vote for Labour to offset the number of Tories willing to tactically vote for Reform.
Not enough Lib Dem or Green voters are (right now) prepared to tactically vote for Labour to offset the number of Tories willing to tactically vote for Reform.
Reposted by Len Metson
🚨 EPSS Belfast 2026 Call for Papers - One week to go! 🚨
Don't forget to submit your paper or panel proposal to the European Political Science Society @epssnet.bsky.social 2026 conference - just one week to go before the deadline: epssnet.org/belfast-2026...
Don't forget to submit your paper or panel proposal to the European Political Science Society @epssnet.bsky.social 2026 conference - just one week to go before the deadline: epssnet.org/belfast-2026...
Call for Papers | EPSS Belfast 2026 Conference
Submit your abstract or full paper for EPSS Belfast 2026. Share cutting‑edge political science research, network with peers & contribute to academic impact.
epssnet.org
October 31, 2025 at 2:00 PM
🚨 EPSS Belfast 2026 Call for Papers - One week to go! 🚨
Don't forget to submit your paper or panel proposal to the European Political Science Society @epssnet.bsky.social 2026 conference - just one week to go before the deadline: epssnet.org/belfast-2026...
Don't forget to submit your paper or panel proposal to the European Political Science Society @epssnet.bsky.social 2026 conference - just one week to go before the deadline: epssnet.org/belfast-2026...
Sticking it to the man by only taking treatment when assigned to control and vice versa
October 31, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Sticking it to the man by only taking treatment when assigned to control and vice versa
Reposted by Len Metson
This is absolutely fascinating: you can put your postcode in and see relative levels of deprivation (and the opposite) where you live in detail. I live where I grew up, so I could spend days doing this as I know the town so well. www.ft.com/content/9a1c... Huge congrats to @amyborrett.ft.com et al.
Interactive: explore England’s new deprivation map
Data analysis reveals ‘cheek by jowl’ inequalities in first study of country’s disadvantaged areas since pandemic
www.ft.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:21 AM
This is absolutely fascinating: you can put your postcode in and see relative levels of deprivation (and the opposite) where you live in detail. I live where I grew up, so I could spend days doing this as I know the town so well. www.ft.com/content/9a1c... Huge congrats to @amyborrett.ft.com et al.
Reposted by Len Metson
If Greens start consistently leading Labour in polls, and beating them in local elections then the logic of tactical voting which Labour has been relying on could flip savagely on them. As Caerphilly by-election shows, "Only Labour can beat Reform" doesn't work if voters know it isn't true.
Our latest Westminster voting intention (26-27 Oct) has Labour on their lowest figure ever recorded by YouGov, with the Greens on their highest
Reform UK: 27% (+1 from 19-20 Oct)
Labour: 17% (-3)
Conservatives: 17% (=)
Greens: 16% (+1)
Lib Dems: 15% (=)
SNP: 3% (-1)
yougov.co.uk/topics/polit...
Reform UK: 27% (+1 from 19-20 Oct)
Labour: 17% (-3)
Conservatives: 17% (=)
Greens: 16% (+1)
Lib Dems: 15% (=)
SNP: 3% (-1)
yougov.co.uk/topics/polit...
October 28, 2025 at 10:53 AM
If Greens start consistently leading Labour in polls, and beating them in local elections then the logic of tactical voting which Labour has been relying on could flip savagely on them. As Caerphilly by-election shows, "Only Labour can beat Reform" doesn't work if voters know it isn't true.
Reposted by Len Metson
It's increasingly obvious that Labour's strategy - call it Starmerism, Blue Labour, whatever - has got it badly wrong. It has alienated the party's core vote while failing to win over those leaning to Reform. There was no shortage of people warning them they were getting it wrong either.
October 28, 2025 at 12:02 PM
It's increasingly obvious that Labour's strategy - call it Starmerism, Blue Labour, whatever - has got it badly wrong. It has alienated the party's core vote while failing to win over those leaning to Reform. There was no shortage of people warning them they were getting it wrong either.
Reposted by Len Metson
There were emotional scenes at the Cardiff City Stadium as Jess Fishlock played her final game for Wales
Wales beaten by Australia in Jess Fishlock’s final international appearance
Jess Fishlock’s final game for Wales ended in defeat after they were beaten 2-1 in a friendly against Australia. The 38-year-old confirmed last week her 166th and final international match would be ag...
nation.cymru
October 25, 2025 at 3:30 PM
There were emotional scenes at the Cardiff City Stadium as Jess Fishlock played her final game for Wales
Reposted by Len Metson
THE END OF AN ERA
Welsh footballing legend Jess Fishlock has played her final match for her country. She leaves the pitch as Wales’ most capped player with 166 caps & 48 goals. Congrats on an incredible career Jess 🏴 👏
Welsh footballing legend Jess Fishlock has played her final match for her country. She leaves the pitch as Wales’ most capped player with 166 caps & 48 goals. Congrats on an incredible career Jess 🏴 👏
October 25, 2025 at 3:57 PM
THE END OF AN ERA
Welsh footballing legend Jess Fishlock has played her final match for her country. She leaves the pitch as Wales’ most capped player with 166 caps & 48 goals. Congrats on an incredible career Jess 🏴 👏
Welsh footballing legend Jess Fishlock has played her final match for her country. She leaves the pitch as Wales’ most capped player with 166 caps & 48 goals. Congrats on an incredible career Jess 🏴 👏
Reposted by Len Metson
I ran a simulated social media experiment with 1450 Republicans to test different fact-checking interventions.
AI produced the largest decrease in engagement with Trump misinformation, outperforming independent fact-checkers and doing so far more consistently than Community Notes.
AI produced the largest decrease in engagement with Trump misinformation, outperforming independent fact-checkers and doing so far more consistently than Community Notes.
AI fact-checks may be the best way to reduce Republicans’ engagement with online political misinformation finds Isolde Hegemann of @lsegovernment.bsky.social
blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...
AI fact-checks may be the best way to reduce Republicans’ engagement with online political misinformation | USAPP
AI fact-checking can be more effectiveds in reducing the likelihood that Republican social media users will share false information online.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
October 22, 2025 at 10:02 AM
I ran a simulated social media experiment with 1450 Republicans to test different fact-checking interventions.
AI produced the largest decrease in engagement with Trump misinformation, outperforming independent fact-checkers and doing so far more consistently than Community Notes.
AI produced the largest decrease in engagement with Trump misinformation, outperforming independent fact-checkers and doing so far more consistently than Community Notes.
October 23, 2025 at 1:09 PM
"AI fact-checks may be the best way to reduce Republicans’ engagement with online political misinformation" by @isoldehegemann.bsky.social
blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...
AI fact-checks may be the best way to reduce Republicans’ engagement with online political misinformation | USAPP
AI fact-checking can be more effectiveds in reducing the likelihood that Republican social media users will share false information online.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
October 23, 2025 at 8:40 AM
"AI fact-checks may be the best way to reduce Republicans’ engagement with online political misinformation" by @isoldehegemann.bsky.social
blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...
📰 "The Two Psychological Biases to Avoid to Understand Voting Behaviour in 2025" open.substack.com/pub/jamesbre...
The Two Psychological Biases to Avoid to Understand Voting Behaviour in 2025
The ecological fallacy and availability bias
open.substack.com
October 21, 2025 at 7:21 AM
📰 "The Two Psychological Biases to Avoid to Understand Voting Behaviour in 2025" open.substack.com/pub/jamesbre...
😮
Breaking news: Amazon’s cloud business was hit by an outage on Monday. Websites including Snapchat, Lloyds Bank and BT were all suffering from disruption www.ft.com/content/f9d1...
October 20, 2025 at 9:08 AM
😮
Reposted by Len Metson
Nano-targeting is not a persuasive weapon: it is a dissuasion and polarization weapon. New paper out osf.io/preprints/so... with the brilliant Thomas Robinson, @simonhix.bsky.social and @fresejoris.bsky.social – the first to quantify the perverse incentives/inherent democratic dangers of this tech.
OSF
osf.io
October 16, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Nano-targeting is not a persuasive weapon: it is a dissuasion and polarization weapon. New paper out osf.io/preprints/so... with the brilliant Thomas Robinson, @simonhix.bsky.social and @fresejoris.bsky.social – the first to quantify the perverse incentives/inherent democratic dangers of this tech.
Reposted by Len Metson
New office art dropped
October 13, 2025 at 4:29 PM
New office art dropped
Reposted by Len Metson
Going through some history of climate politics notes from last week, I realize we dont appreciate enough the climate mobilization of mid2010s and subsequent electoral green wave of late 2010s.
That moment was never really meant to be in the cards and we need to better study how we got there
🪡 1/n
That moment was never really meant to be in the cards and we need to better study how we got there
🪡 1/n
October 13, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Going through some history of climate politics notes from last week, I realize we dont appreciate enough the climate mobilization of mid2010s and subsequent electoral green wave of late 2010s.
That moment was never really meant to be in the cards and we need to better study how we got there
🪡 1/n
That moment was never really meant to be in the cards and we need to better study how we got there
🪡 1/n