Articles tagged with Elections
A recent study published in American Political Science Review found that people's policy positions shift when informed of their party leader's stance on a controversial issue. Researchers used President Trump's statements to test the effect of party loyalty versus policy loyalty.
A study found that automated accounts on Twitter spread 31% of low-credibility information, with just 6% of bot accounts responsible for most of it. The researchers suggest eliminating bots from social networks to reduce misinformation, and propose steps companies can take to slow the spread.
A groundbreaking study by LSU researchers found that the loss of local media leads to a decrease in split ticket voting by 1.9%, as voters turn to partisan national news for information. This shift results in voters making more party-based decisions rather than considering candidate platforms.
The study found that targeted Facebook advertising increased the number of Trump voters by 10% in 2016. The campaign was particularly effective among voters who used Facebook regularly and had lower levels of education.
A study from the University of Waterloo found that urban planning decisions in post-WWII Canada contributed to the rise of right-wing populism by promoting automobile dependency and suburban sprawl. This normalization of unsustainable lifestyles led to a sense of resistance to change, particularly among suburban voters.
A new study from Michigan State University found that teachers felt immense pressure to respond in a certain way to the 2016 presidential election. Researchers argue that neutrality in the classroom is not an effective teaching tactic and can marginalize certain groups.
A new study published in The Journal of Politics found that enacting campaign finance reform to reduce polarization would likely degrade representation quality. Citizens tend to prefer representatives with matching issue views, regardless of ideology.
Conspiracy theorists on Reddit discuss recurring elements such as Big Pharma, US elections, and government corruption. The study found that narrative-motifs expose commonalities between multiple conspiracy theories, even when referring to different events or circumstances.
A new study by Brigham Young University researchers reveals that voters living in counties with high political competition give less to charity. The findings suggest that the perception of mistrust among like-minded individuals leads to lower charitable donations.
A study by Emily Van Duyn found that 136 women in rural Texas who voted for Hillary Clinton formed a secret group to resist Trump, fearing physical retaliation. Despite concerns about their image, the women actively engaged in politics behind the scenes, including contacting representatives and tracking legislation.
A new study reveals wide variations in voting ease among US states, impacting democracy and potentially affecting voter turnout. States like Oregon and Colorado rank high for ease of voting, while others like Mississippi face significant inconveniences.
A study by San Francisco State University found that 25% of young adults experienced clinically significant stress after the 2016 US election, comparable to witnesses of a mass shooting. The study also highlighted strong impacts on racial and ethnic groups, as well as gender, political affiliation, and religion.
A new model of polarization explains how voters strategically vote for parties to empower their preferred party, contributing to increased polarization. The model also highlights the impact of gerrymandering on polarization and suggests policy changes, such as increasing local party coordination, could help address the issue.
A recent study by Stevens Institute of Technology found that both men and women favor female politicians, with men rating them significantly higher than male politicians. The survey of 1,400 voting-age Americans revealed that men, particularly Democratic men, assess women politicians more favorably than male politicians.
A study of nearly 60 million tweets during the French 2017 presidential election found that two political communities, Fillon and Le Pen, accounted for 50.75% and 22.21% of fake news respectively, while a small minority were spread by Twitter users outside these communities.
A new study suggests that Democrats' greater inclusiveness and willingness to integrate members of other groups into their party may have weakened party cohesion, ultimately leading to Hillary Clinton's election defeat. Republicans, on the other hand, displayed solidarity only with their own group, enabling them to act as a single entity.
A study found that modest reductions in age-adjusted, county-level death rates could have swung key US states to Secretary Clinton. Counties with higher Republican votes had higher age-adjusted death rates and increased deaths of despair.
A study by the University of Sheffield found that online abuse of UK politicians on Twitter increased substantially between 2015 and 2017, with more abuse sent in 2017. The most common topics for abusive replies were national security and terror attacks.
Researchers found that bot accounts shared anti-vaccination messages 75% more than average users, while Russian trolls used polarizing language to promote discord. The study suggests a significant portion of online vaccine discourse may be generated by malicious actors with hidden agendas.
A new study by Cornell University researchers will analyze how voters' views on issues like race, immigration, and gender influence the 2018 midterm elections. The survey will track nearly 1,400 likely voters across three waves, allowing for a nuanced understanding of shifting attitudes leading up to the elections.
Research by Peter Selb and Simon Munzert found Hitler's 455 public appearances had surprisingly small effect on electoral outcomes. His personal involvement only positively impacted the 1932 presidential election, but overall campaign effects were minor.
A study by Adam Bonica and Maya Sen reveals that American courts become politicized due to strategic judicial selection. The researchers found that higher courts are more conservative and polarized, deviating from the broader legal profession's liberal ideology.
A survey of UK doctors found that they mostly lean left-wing but high earners tend to lean right. Most believe Brexit will negatively impact the NHS, with an average score of 2 out of 10.
The US refugee resettlement program is struggling to cope with a changing sociopolitical climate, particularly with regards to Syrians. Researchers found that organizations are struggling to obtain basic resources for refugees upon arrival, including housing and job placement.
The study found a significant association between chronic opioid use and support for President Trump in 2016. Socioeconomic factors such as income, disability, insurance coverage, and unemployment contributed to this correlation, accounting for approximately 18% of the variance in county rates of opioid use.
A study found that sending voters messages about district budget irregularities increased the likelihood of voting for incumbent councilors if corruption was low and reduced it when corruption was high. This method could empower voters and increase electoral accountability in some political offices.
A new study by Yanwen Wang, Michael Lewis, and David A. Schweidel found that negative political advertising is effective in influencing voter preferences and turnout, particularly when created by candidates or their campaigns. In contrast, positive advertising is less effective, while PAC-sponsored ads are significantly less impactful.
A study found that households with opposing political views spent significantly less time at the Thanksgiving table in 2016. Political tension exacerbated this effect, particularly for those exposed to high amounts of advertising. Overall, partisan differences cost Americans 73.6 million hours spent interacting during Thanksgiving.
Researchers found that Thanksgiving visits were 30-50 minutes shorter after the 2016 presidential election, with effects worse in media markets with intense political advertising. This indicates a broader decline in social capital and close connections between friends and family.
A study by Bocconi University's Celia Moore found that the 2016 US Presidential election led to Democrats becoming more hostile and less generous towards Republicans, while Republicans became more in-group favoritistic. The effect was stronger in individuals with a stronger party identification.
Researchers found that voters prefer 'agreeable' politicians who are perceived as trustworthy and cooperative, but these traits often hinder their success in office. In contrast, candidates with a competent appearance tend to perform better in elections.
Research by Francesco Billari and Ozan Aksoy found that Turkey's Islamist AKP party has brought fertility rates up due to effective local welfare policies, increasing marriage rates by four per 1,000 individuals.
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that traditionally high-status Americans, particularly whites and Christians, voted for Donald Trump due to fears of losing their privileged status in America and the world. The researchers debunked the idea that voters were driven by economic grievances...
A study found that threats to dominant group status and economic issues like trade and China drove voting behavior in the 2016 US presidential election. Changes in household income and employment status were not associated with shifts in support for the Republican candidate.
A new study by Florida Atlantic University researchers suggests that perceived charisma can balance out the negative effects of a narcissistic personality on voters' perceptions of leaders. The study found that charisma and values alignment contributed to voter choice, while media coverage and social media amplify familiarity with cand...
A recent study from the University of Waterloo found that Muslims are the least liked group in Canada, with higher rates of discrimination than most other demographic groups. Residents of Quebec and those with conservative views hold more negative feelings towards Muslims.
A study published in Epidemiology found that assaults spiked in cities hosting Donald Trump's presidential campaign rallies during the 2016 US election. The researchers suggested two possible explanations for their findings: increased violence at rally venues and social contagion through news reports and digital media.
Researchers found no relationship between a candidate's voice pitch and their leadership ability, contrary to previous findings that voters tend to favor lower-voiced candidates.
Researchers found that viewers' parasocial bonds with Trump formed through his reality TV shows contributed to his election, making voters more likely to like him and believe his promises. The study suggests that this phenomenon can explain the surprise of many Trump voters who crossed party lines.
Researchers found that social-circle questions led to more accurate predictions for election outcomes than traditional polling methods. Social-circle questions provide information about people who aren't explicitly included in the sample and can help anticipate the processes of social influence.
Researchers analyzed over 540,000 tweets to find nearly 80% of them were duplicates or re-tweets originating from bot accounts. The study found that right-wing internet activists used social bots to spread nationalistic content and boosted Abe's election campaign.
Italian researchers found that Tea Party supporters exhibited greater racial resentment towards non-white individuals and relied on it when evaluating Obama. The study suggests the Tea Party movement paved the way for mainstream acceptance of racially hostile content, contributing to Trump's communication strategy.
Research finds that Trump's use of inflammatory language activated latent support among Republican voters in areas experiencing Latino population growth. The study used geocoded surveys to track changes in voter sentiment before and after Trump's campaign announcement and infamous statements.
A new study by Dartmouth College researchers reveals that at least 1% of U.S. voting-age adults change their partisan preference from Democrat to Republican on rainy election days, attributing this shift to a psychological behavior where voters are more averse to risk during poor weather conditions.
A new collection of articles explores the role and risks of bots in influencing public opinion and political elections. Researchers examine approaches to detect and control bots, their impact on recent elections, and potential methods for automation identification of bot activity.
According to a report from UC3M and CODERE, three out of four Spanish residents buy the Lotería de Navidad, with social pressure and custom driving purchases. The lottery's social impact is equivalent to Spain's general election participation, with annual sales reaching €2.4-3B.
A UK investigation led by the University of Huddersfield is considering whether 16-year-olds should be granted the right to vote in all elections. The research will analyze debates and arguments surrounding youth democratic participation, comparing historical and contemporary perspectives.
Dereje Agonafer's election as an NAI Fellow marks the highest number of NAI Fellows at any university in Texas. He is a renowned expert in thermal engineering and has developed innovative cooling systems for high-power chip stacking.
A new study by Drexel University researcher Usama Bilal found a significant association between rising white, middle-class death rates and Republican voting in the 2016 US presidential election. The research suggests that counties with higher mortality rates among middle-aged whites were more likely to vote for Republican candidates.
Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Doron Taussig analyze Trump's rhetoric, finding it both disrupted political norms and created challenges for governing. Trump's signature traits include spontaneity, accountability dodging, and demonization, which have led to concerns about his mental acuity and speculation about invoking the 25th Amendment.
A new study published in Political Behavior suggests that voting alone does not directly reduce criminality and may not foster good citizens. The research analyzed a large-scale field experiment involving over 550,000 young adults aged 18-20 in the US, finding no correlation between voting and reduced crime rates.
A University of Houston psychologist explores how social media influences alcohol consumption among college students, finding that heavy drinkers overestimate others' drinking and misperceive what's normal. A new intervention uses social media to provide personalized feedback and reduce excessive drinking.
A study found that counties with poor public health were more likely to shift towards Republican candidate Trump in the 2016 election. These counties had higher teen birth rates, lower healthcare resources and more rural populations than those supporting Democratic candidates.
A comprehensive study of legislative elections in 91 democracies found that half experienced substantial voter decline. Factors contributing to low turnout differ by country and regime change context. The study suggests exposure to democratic practice is not the main reason for decreased participation.
A study published in Party Politics found that 97% of voters were glad they participated, while 60% of non-voters regretted not voting. People who feel morally duty-bound to vote and those interested in politics are more likely to be satisfied with their decision.
A study by Baylor University scholars finds that school board members' reelection is tied to white student achievement, but not to African-American or Hispanic students. The research also reveals that voters prioritize factors outside of schools' control when evaluating their candidates.
A Brown University study finds that political polarization has increased most among demographic groups with low internet and social media use. The authors suggest that broader forces beyond the digital landscape may be driving the rise in partisanship.
A new study by Boston University School of Public Health researcher Jacob Bor found that counties with lower life expectancy gains saw a significant increase in Republican votes, while Democrats lost votes in these areas. The findings suggest that voters' health needs may be driving their electoral decisions.
A new study in the American Economic Review found that viewers who stumble upon Fox News first while channel surfing are more likely to vote for a Republican presidential candidate. The study used voter records and survey data to compare individuals from different cable news channel positions, finding a significant association between ...
Research establishes first clear link between depression and hindsight bias, a distorted view of the past. People with depression show exaggerated perceptions of foreseeability and inevitability for negative event outcomes, reinforcing feelings of helplessness.