New PhD thesis: Lifestyle choices reflected in political orientation
Our lifestyle choices form a bundle reflecting our political orientations, according to a new PhD thesis in sociology by Elida Ibrahim.
Elida Ibrahim. Photo: Simon Hastegård
We often think about political differences in terms of opinions or voting, but they can also be reflected in the things we do, the interests we have, and the lifestyles we lead. I study how these everyday practices come together in different combinations, and what those combinations can tell us about political identity and polarization”, says Elida Ibrahim.
The thesis examines, among other things, how US politicians present themselves on Twitter/X. While Democrats are broad in how they showcase their lifestyles, the presentations of Republicans revolve around family, religion, military service, and political identity.
One thing that surprised Elida Ibrahim while working on her thesis was the realization that it is not just individual lifestyle choices that matter, but how they fit together. A single activity might tell us very little about someone's political identity, but a combination of activities can reveal a clearer pattern.
”This changed how I approached the research: instead of looking at individual lifestyle choices in isolation, I began looking at how they form broader patterns in everyday life.”
What will you do next?
”After my PhD, I will be moving to Switzerland for a postdoctoral position. I’m looking forward to continuing to study social networks, group identities, and how people’s everyday lives shape their relationships with others. I’ll be building on some of the questions in my dissertation while exploring new ways of understanding how social divisions emerge and persist."
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Last updated: 2026-11-04
Source: Department of Sociology