Journal profile · Multiple
Political Psychology
ISSN 0162-895X · eISSN 1467-9221 · Wiley-Blackwell
Political Psychology: CAS Zone 1 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 3.18; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,250; review about 312 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); acceptance rate 21% (journal website); 145 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Political Psychology is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 1 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Social and Intergroup Psychology, Cultural Differences and Values and Electoral Systems and Political Participation, together about 42.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Political Psychology, the journal of the International Society of Political Psychology, is dedicated to the analysis of the interrelationships between psychology and politics and governance. Understanding psychological processes can shed light on political processes and outcomes. Likewise, understanding how politics unfolds can expand what we know about human psychology. The journal’s goal is to publish high-quality work that reflects the full range of research topics and methodologies under the umbrella of “political psychology.” We welcome studies of the public as well as political elites, and of democratic and non-democratic countries. We likewise welcome within-country studies, comparative country studies, and studies of international relations. Research published in the journal may be qualitative or quantitative, and focused on descriptive or causal inference. Most of what we publish will be empirical, but we also welcome manuscripts that are primarily theoretical or methodological in nature. Our main limiting “scope” requirement is that manuscripts must engage with both the study of politics and psychology
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Social and Intergroup PsychologySocial Sciences23.2%
- Cultural Differences and ValuesPsychology9.9%
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences9.8%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences6.9%
- Social and Cultural DynamicsSocial Sciences5.1%
- Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political ViolenceSocial Sciences4.1%
- Psychology of Moral and Emotional JudgmentNeuroscience3.8%
- Populism, Right-Wing MovementsSocial Sciences3.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Social | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Social | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Social | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PsycINFOCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 3.18LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 7.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.94LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.25LetPub ·
- h-index
- 182OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,679OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.55OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 70.15%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 105LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 113Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 658,772Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,299 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 93 | 61 | 37 |
| 2025 | 145 | 97 | 199 |
| 2024 | 123 | 92 | 685 |
| 2023 | 76 | 64 | 835 |
| 2022 | 84 | 59 | 1,659 |
| 2021 | 86 | 49 | 2,247 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
312 dayssubmission to acceptance
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 21%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 21%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 45 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 45 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 312 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 19 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,250 / EUR 3,520 / GBP 2,840 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 9,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- book reviewOriginal Article: The vast majority of manuscripts submitted to Political Psychology will be original empirical articles. These articles will report on original…Length not stated
- commentaryOriginal Article: The vast majority of manuscripts submitted to Political Psychology will be original empirical articles. These articles will report on original…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- dialogueDialogue: In lieu of traditional book reviews, Political Psychology will publish critical dialogues.Length not stated
- original articleOriginal Article: The vast majority of manuscripts submitted to Political Psychology will be original empirical articles. These articles will report on original…Length not stated
- perspectiveOriginal Article: The vast majority of manuscripts submitted to Political Psychology will be original empirical articles. These articles will report on original…Length not stated
- registered reportOriginal Article: The vast majority of manuscripts submitted to Political Psychology will be original empirical articles. These articles will report on original…Length not stated
- reply to commentaryReplies to commentaries allow authors of articles to formally respond to commentaries.Length not stated
- reviewOriginal Article: The vast majority of manuscripts submitted to Political Psychology will be original empirical articles. These articles will report on original…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Self-archiving
- Authorship
Authorship criteria Model summary
Political Psychology requires that all individuals who meet standard criteria for authorship be listed as authors and that individuals who do not meet such criteria be excluded from authorship
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Materials sharing mandated Model summary
Political Psychology mandates materials sharing as a condition for submission and publication.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
COPE member Model summary
This journal follows the core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and handles cases of research and publication misconduct accordingly
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
Open access option with APC Model summary
This journal is a subscription journal that offers an Open Access option. Authors have the option to make their articles open access after acceptance, which will be subject to an Article Publication Charge (APC) unless a waiver applies.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-anonymized peer review Model summary
this journal operates a double-anonymized peer review policy
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
No pre-assessments Model summary
Political Psychology does not provide pre-assessments of manuscripts, abstracts or any form of document prior to formal submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving
Manuscripts must engage with both the study of politics and psychology Model summary
Our main limiting “scope” requirement is that manuscripts must engage with both the study of politics and psychology
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 0162-895X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1467-9221
- Society / sponsor
- International Society of Political Psychology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 47, Issue S1 (December 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Political Psychology
What CAS zone is Political Psychology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Political Psychology is in Zone 1 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Political Science / Psychology, Social; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Political Psychology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.18; CiteScore 7.6, h-index 182.
How long does peer review take at Political Psychology?
The publisher reports about 312 days (submission to acceptance); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 21% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Political Psychology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 9,000 words; Reference style: APA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Which databases index Political Psychology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Political Psychology is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PsycINFO and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Political Psychology open access, and what is the APC?
Political Psychology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,250.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .