Biography
Péter Krekó is a social psychologist, behavioural scientist and think-tanker specialising in disinformation, authoritarian influence, and democratic resilience. His work focuses on the psychological and institutional mechanisms behind the spread and impact of disinformation, conspiracy theories, and populist communication strategies, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. He explores how state and non-state actors exploit cognitive biases and political polarisation to destabilise liberal democracies—and what evidence-based counterstrategies can be employed in response. He is the Director and Co-Owner of Political Capital Institute, a Budapest-based policy think tank, and leads Hungary’s national anti-disinformation hub (HDMO–Lakmusz), co-funded by the European Commission through the European Digital Media Observatory, hosted at the European University Institute.
Krekó holds a PhD in social psychology from Eötvös Loránd University, where his dissertation examined the cognitive and social roots of conspiracy beliefs. He currently serves as a Research Affiliate at the CEU Democracy Institute, Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), and Engaging Central Europe Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMFUS). His previous international experience includes visiting positions at Indiana University as a Fulbright Visiting Professor, the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna (IWM), the University of Cambridge (PopBack Project), Johns Hopkins SAIS in Bologna, and the Institute of Advanced Studies Kőszeg (iASK).
Krekó frequently advises international institutions on information security, foreign interference and democracy support. His work has been featured in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, and The Guardian, and he regularly speaks at high-level international policy forums on counter-disinformation and hybrid threats.
As a Policy Leader Fellow, his project is focusing on informational autocratisation within the European Union.