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Dr Ben Clements

Associate Professor

  • Office: Attenborough Tower 904
  • Tel: +44 (0)116 252 2701
  • Fax: +44 (0)116 252 5082
  • Email: bc101@leicester.ac.uk
  • Feedback and Support Times (Semester 2, 2020-21): By appointment only
  • Dissertation Hour (Semester 2, 2020-21): By appointment only

Personal details

  • BSc, MA, PhD

I co-organised a UACES-funded workshop, entitled 'Sacred and Secular: Researching the Role of Religion in Contemporary Europe', held on 21 June 2013, at the University of Leicester.

I am one of the co-conveners of the Political Studies Association's specialist group on Politics and Religion.

I am a contributor to and a member of the project board for British Religion in Numbers.

My PhD thesis was awarded the ‘Arthur McDougall Fund Prize for best dissertation in elections, electoral systems, or representation’ by the United Kingdom Political Studies Association in April 2009.

In February 2008, I was given the ‘David Butler Prize’ for a paper presented at the EPOP Conference 2007.

Teaching

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

I teach on the following modules:

  • PL2094 Political Analysis 1: Understanding Political Science Research
  • PL3127 Political Participation in Britain
  • PL3137 The Politics of Contemporary British Foreign Policy

Learn more and apply for research degrees in Politics and International Relations.

Publications

Books

Journal articles

Book chapters

Other

  • 'Rising atheism in British society', Sociology Review, 26(4), 2016-17.
  • 'The growth of religious "nones" in Britain', Sociology Review, 25(4), 2015/16.
  • 'Exploring Christian beliefs and practices in Britain', Sociology Review, 25(1), 2015/16.
  • '"Politics and religion don’t mix." Or do they?', Sociology Review, 24(1), 2014/15.
  • 'What do you believe in? Changing religious beliefs in Britain', Sociology Review, 23(1), 2013/14
  • 'Religion and public attitudes in Britain', Sociology Review, 22(2), 2012/13.

  • ‘Religious affiliation and voting behaviour in Britain’, Sociology Review, 21(2), 2011/12.

  • ‘“Hawks” and “Doves”. Public opinion in Britain towards military intervention’, Political Insight, 3, 2011.

  • Clements, B. and G. Douglas (2009), Network 1000 Survey 1: Comparing the General and Registered Visually Impaired Populations. VICTAR, University of Birmingham, pp. 1-105.
  • Douglas, G., S. Pavey, B. Clements and C. Corcoran (2009), Network 1000: Access to employment amongst visually impaired people. VICTAR, University of Birmingham, pp. 1-46.
  • Douglas, G., J. Franks, A. Weston and B. Clements (2009), Braille in the 21st Century: opportunities, benefits, and challenges for adults with acquired sight loss. VICTAR, University of Birmingham, pp. 1-106.
  • Pavey, S., A. Dodgson, G. Douglas and B. Clements (2009), Travel, Transport, and Mobility of people who are blind and partially sighted in the UK. VICTAR, University of Birmingham, pp.1-119.

Conferences and presentations

  • 'To respond or not to respond? The economic crisis, public opinion and party positions on European integration', paper presented at the ECPR EU Standing Group Conference, June 2018, Paris.
  • 'Conservative Party supporters' views on foreign policy: Then and now', paper presented at the annual PSA Conference, March 2018, Cardiff.
  • Contributed to a panel on 'Permissiveness', What is Contemporary British History Now? Conference. September 2017, King's College, London.
  • '“Charity begins at home?” A review of public opinion in Britain towards foreign aid spending', paper presented at the Contemporary UK Development Aid conference, July 2017, University of Leeds.
  • 'Catholics in Britain: Social Attitudes and Party Support', paper presented at the annual PSA conference, April 2017, Glasgow.
  • 'Surveying Non-Religion in Britain: Historical Trends and Contemporary Analysis', paper presented at the annual PSA conference, March 2016, Brighton.
  • 'Surveying the religious behaviour, beliefs and social attitudes of Catholics in Britain', paper presented at the Rethinking Modern British Studies conference, University of Birmingham, July 2015.
  • 'Religion and attitudes towards moral issues in Britain’, paper presented at Factoring In Faith: New Dilemmas in the Politics-Religion Relationship, A Centre for Religion and Public Life 'Religion and society @ Leeds' research day, University of Leeds, May 2015.
  • 'Who are the "religious nones in Britain"? Social characteristics and political attitudes', paper presented at the annual PSA conference, March-April 2015, Sheffield.
  • 'Secularisation as "declining religious authority"? Public opinion in Britain', paper presented at the annual PSA Conference, April 2014, University of Manchester.
  • 'Secularisation as "declining religious authority"? Public opinion in Britain', paper presented at the "Religion, Democracy and Law" International Conference, January 2014, London Metropolitan University.
  • With K. Nanou and S. Verney, ‘Soft Euroscepticism in the Spotlight: The Impact of the Economic Crisis in Greece’, paper presented at the ECPR General Conference, Bordeaux, September 2013.
  • 'Public opposition to gay marriage in Britain: (How) Does religion influence opinion?', Sacred & Secular: Researching the Role of Religion in Contemporary Europe, UACES-funded workshop, 21 June 2013, University of Leicester.
  • With K. Nanou and S. Verney, ‘The Eurozone crisis and public attitudes towards the European Union in Greece’, MZES Workshop, University of Mannheim, Germany, 3-4 June 2013.
  • With K. Nanou and S. Verney, ‘The Eurozone crisis and public attitudes towards the European Union in Greece’, Political Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Cardiff, 27-29 March 2013.
  • 'Examining the Impact of Religion on Political Participation in Britain', BSA Annual Conference 2012, University of Leeds, 11-13 April.

  • ‘Religion and political participation in Britain’, Seminar in Religion and Politics, Department of Politics, History and International Relations, University of Loughborough, 7 April 2012.

  • With K. Nanou, 'Economic crisis and public attitudes towards domestic and EU institutions in Greece, Portugal and Spain’, 6th ECPR General Conference 25-27 August 2011, Standing Group on Southern European Politics.
  • With K. Nanou, ‘Support for Turkish Membership of the EU in the UK: Party positions and citizens’ attitudes’, Paper presented at ‘Turkey and the EU: Opportunities and Challenges in the Accession Process’. The University Association for Contemporary European Studies and Turkish University Association for European Studies, 16-18 June 2010, Yeditepe University, Istanbul.
  • ‘“Little Englanders”? Profiling Conservative Party supporters' views on immigration and Europe’, ‘Cameron's Conservatives conference’ at The Centre for British Politics, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham, December 2008.
  • ‘The salience of the European issue and vote choice in Britain, 1983-2005’, EPOP 2007 Annual Conference, University of the West of England, September 2007.
  • ‘The foundations of opinion stability on the EU: Evidence from the British Election Panel Studies, 1987-92 and 1992-97’, EPOP 2006 Annual Conference, University of Nottingham, September 2006.
  • ‘The Current State of the Parties: Prospects for the next General Election’, Westminster Politics Short Course for A-Level Teachers, University of Westminster, June 2009.

Online dissemination

Contributions to British Religion in Numbers:

October 2017 - 'Religion and the British Social Attitudes 2016 Survey'.

August 2017 - 'Religious Affiliation and Party Choice at the 2017 General Election'.

May 2017 - 'How religious groups voted in the 2016 referendum on Britain's EU membership'.

January 2017 - 'Religion and the British Social Attitudes 2015 Survey'.

January 2017 - 'Attitudes towards Gay Rights'.

June 2016 - 'The European Social Survey 2014: Political Attitudes of Religious Groups in Britain'.

June 2016 - 'The European Social Survey: Religion in Britain'.

May 2016 - 'Re-examining religious and paranormal beliefs in mid-1970s Britain'.

April 2016 - 'Religion and party choice: Evidence from the BES 2015 face-to-face post-election survey'.

October 2015 - 'Exploring Religious Data in the British Social Attitudes 2014 Survey'.

July 2015 - 'Religion and party choice at the 2015 general election'.

June 2015 - 'Socio-Demographic Groups and Religious Affiliation in Britain'.

May 2015 - 'The 2015 General Election: Religious Affiliation and Party Vote Share Across Constituencies'.

May 2015 - 'Religion and Political Attitudes: The British Election Study 2015, Internet Panel – Wave 4'.

November 2014 - 'Public attitudes towards women bishops'.

October 2014 - 'The British Election Study 2015: Religious Affiliation'.

October 2014 - 'The British Election Study 2015: Religious affiliation and attitudes'.

October 2014 - 'Roman Catholics' attitudes towards homosexuality'.

September 2014 - 'Religion and attitudes towards faith schools'.

June 2014 - 'Changes in attendance at religious services in Britain'.

June 2014 - 'Religious attitudes towards gay rights in 2013'.

April 2014 - 'Religion and social-morality attitudes in 2012'.

April 2014 - 'Is being Christian important for being British?'.

April 2014 - 'Christian affiliation in Britain'.

January 2014 - 'Religion and attitudes towards euthanasia in Britain: Evidence from opinion polls and social surveys'.

October 2013 - 'What can social surveys tell us about church attendance amongst Catholics in Britain?'.

September 2012 - ‘Anglicans and Attitudes towards Gay Marriage’.

May 2012 - ‘Attitudes towards the Disestablishment of the Church of England’.

June 2011 - ‘Religious Affiliation and Attitudes towards Immigrants in Britain’.

May 2011 - ‘Attitudes towards Different Religious Groups in Britain: Survey Data Sources’.

March 2011 - ‘Attitudes towards Britain’s Involvement in the Afghanistan Conflict by Religious Affiliation’.

March 2011 - With Dr S. McAndrew, ‘Other – Write In’.

March 2011 - ‘The Ethnic Minority British Election Study (EMBES) – part II’.

March 2011 - 'The Ethnic Minority British Election Study (EMBES)’.

September 2010 - ‘Attitudes towards the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts: Data from the British Election Study’.

August 2010 - 'Religious Affiliation and Political Attitudes: Findings from the British Election Study 2009/10’.

Research

My research focus is primarily on British politics and religion, in particular, the impact of religion on socio-political attitudes in Britain, both in historical perspective and in contemporary society. Other areas of interest include public opinion towards the EU and foreign policy issues and public opinion on environmental issues.

Current research

I am currently working on an AHRC-funded project, which will undertake an in-depth, nationally-representative survey of Roman Catholics in Britain. The project website can be found here.

My most recent book, published by Routledge, was entitled British Public Opinion on Foreign and Defence Policy: 1945-2017.

I have also had two books published by Palgrave Macmillan.

The first, Religion and Public Opinion in Britain: Continuity and Change, looks at areas of continuity and change in religion and public opinion in Britain. The book examines public attitudes towards religious authority and then focuses on the socio-political attitudes of religious groups on different topics: party choice and voting, political ideology, social-morality issues and foreign policy.

The second, Surveying Christian Beliefs and Religious Debates in  Post-War Britain, focuses on Christian religious beliefs and attitudes on religious-secular debates (religion and science; religion and education - faith schools; church-state relations - disestablishment), and looks at how these beliefs and attitudes vary across groups in society.

Supervision

  • Undergraduate dissertation supervision
  • DL dissertation supervision
  • PhD supervision

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Contact Details

School of Politics and International Relations

University of Leicester
University Road
Leicester, LE1 7RH
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)116 252 2702
Email: HyPIR@le.ac.uk

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