Polarization Research Lab

Research and public resources monitoring the state of democracy. Founder/Director @seanjwestwood and co-director @ylelkes.

[Sean Westwood @seanjwestwood]

This is one of the most important essays I have read. It offers direct guidance on how to rehabilitate social science and rebuild lost social trust. It was also incredible to watch how careful Tom and Jonathan were in preparing the manuscript. Read it now!

[Anne Meng @annemeng_]

🚨Excited to share my new paper with Jessica Gottlieb and Damien Kelly! Everyone is worried about POLARIZATION. But are we all experiencing it the same way? 👉 We argue that to understand polarization, we need to bring POWER back into the conversation /1

[Sian Beilock @sianbeilock]

With the midterms a few weeks away, I wrote about why hearing from people we disagree with matters and how we’re making room for more of it at @dartmouth. https://t.co/G6JNIRgVl2

[Stand Together @StandTogether]

Partisan discord doesn’t begin and end on Election Day. Neither does the rhetoric that fuels it.

Since 2022, @PRL_Tweets at Dartmouth College has looked beyond the political horse race, tracking Americans’ views and elected officials’ messages in real-time week by week. The lab’s findings reveal a strong disconnect between many communities -- nearly 86% of Americans reported a negative view of the other political party.

So, what is driving that animosity? And how can Americans foster a more constructive political environment? @seanjwestwood is studying the answers.

Explore America’s Political Pulse, to see what your elected representatives are saying and doing ► https://t.co/bBYeF7lJy0

[Lisa Janssen @lisajnssn]

📢New paper in @The_JOP on the reciprocal nature of citizens’ support for democratic transgressions.

We show that citizens reciprocate undemocratic behavior: When confronted with violations by political opponents, citizens’ support for transgressions by their own side doubles

[Dartmouth Club BOS @DCGBoston]

A study by Sean Westwood, an associate professor of government, is highlighted in an article about growing concerns over AI-generated responses distorting online survey results.

https://t.co/zPNzDF3CwH

[Sean Westwood @seanjwestwood]

I think this is largely right, but it does seem that the timelines of publication and uncertainty of disclosure make it hard to attach this to papers that were not started or in progress outside the last few months.

[John V. Kane @UptonOrwell]

🥳 Wow am I excited to FINALLY be sharing this co-authored article with @littleconnors out today in @PolBehavior!

We show that people feel social pressure to overreport political engagement, but that this pressure can be reduced in surveys by "un-priming politics" 👍

[Sean Westwood @seanjwestwood]

I can be pretty cynical about higher education, but this column from one of my students (Roger Friedlander) gives me hope

https://t.co/ci4q10ak5X

[Sean Westwood @seanjwestwood]

"It's not that the public does not care about democracy. But Americans' understanding of the democratic way of doing politics is one of competitive parties, robust public participation, and open and free debate about the paths their communities should take. They see it differently from Democratic elites and progressive activists." Incredible new article: https://t.co/Y0f1vWRuaK

[Sian Beilock @sianbeilock]

.@WSJopinion looked at how @Dartmouth built a culture of free speech and dialogue: faculty leading hard conversations, students hearing out views they disagree with. We're seeing the results, in @theFIREorg's rankings and elsewhere. The work continues. https://t.co/m37fQKfbrz

[Seth Hill @seth_j_hill]

Just published @ScienceAdvances Field experiment delivering messages to 147K Houston-area conservatives aiming to increase trust in elections. @namalhotra @ThadKousser https://t.co/AXGRvLI4Oh

[Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel]

Partisans are highly segregated by workplace—the effect is similar in size to gender segregation at work.

-Museums and environmental organizations have the fewest Republicans, gas pipelines and mines have the most Republicans.

-Historians are most likely to be Democrats, drill operators are the most likely to be Republicans.

-Political Segregation is largest among the politically active and those with more market power (senior executives).

-Republicans experience higher exposure to Democrats at work: the average Republican’s coworkers are 50% Democratic versus 32% Republican for the average Democrat.

Read about our this paper and 10 favorite studies of the month on our newsletter:

https://t.co/jPbTBgATFz

[Katie Pavlich Tonight @KatiePavlichNN]

WATCH: @seanjwestwood joins KPT to explain the AI threat to political polling he's been warning about for more than a year - and why it would be "naive to assume" that foes like China or Russia are not trying to alter American polling.

[Chris Tausanovitch @CTausanovitch]

New paper with @johnmmurph just conditionally accepted at @apsrjournal:

Can people guess how majorities of each party in Congress voted on bills? Mostly yes.

Can they guess how their own representatives voted on bills, above what is accounted for by party? Mostly no. 🧵

[CSSLab at Penn @csspenn]

What happens when scientific claims go beyond what a study can establish?

In new research published in Nature Human Behaviour, Calvin Isch, Timothy Dörr (@Timothy95Doerr), Neil Fasching, Grace Jennings, and Duncan Watts (@duncanjwatts) find causal claims in 46% of 194,631 cross-sectional studies and show that causal wording makes readers more likely to infer causation.

They also find that asking LLMs to simplify research or discuss its practical implications can increase causal overclaiming 🧵⬇️

https://t.co/LusNAx3jhD

[Sean Westwood @seanjwestwood]

42% of Americans think AI makes a college degree less valuable. We have to demonstrate that there is value to the university experience that AI cannot replace.

[Sean Westwood @seanjwestwood]

The AAUP made its first political endorsement in 111 years. The public's verdict: 19% approve, 42% disapprove. Americans keep telling higher ed the same thing: stay out of politics.

[Sean Westwood @seanjwestwood]

The public backs the sciences and traditional humanities. It does not see social science and identity studies departments as worth funding. The trajectory for higher ed is dire. We have to correct course.

[Sean Westwood @seanjwestwood]

Americans question the utility of a college degree. More than half would suggest an alternative path for young people, and only a quarter would recommend pursuing a four-year degree.