Polarization Research Lab

Yphtach Lelkes, who was recently promoted to full professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, studies the structure, dynamics, and causes of political attitudes, uncovering how psychology, media, and institutions shape political attitudes and polarization in the United States:

Join us in celebrating the 2025 Cozzarelli Prize Class V: Behavioral and Social Sciences winning paper, “The potential existential threat of large language models to online survey research.” Read the article here: https://ow.ly/BFA450YKxZF

"We should be certainly very worried about political violence and its destabilizing effect, but the country has seen far worse and survived,” @seanjwestwood.bsky.social, government professor and director of the @prl.bsky.social, says in the @nytimes.com.

Join us in celebrating the 2025 Cozzarelli Prize Class V: Behavioral and Social Sciences winning paper, “The potential existential threat of large language models to online survey research.” Read the article here: https://ow.ly/GL4K50YKy7E

MPSA papers submitted! I will be presenting work with @hmridge.bsky.social on the conditional effect of ascriptive identities on tolerance for democratic transgressions next Saturday. We are very grateful to the @prl.bsky.social for including our experiments in their survey in Germany and Israel!

Today, January 5, is the final day to apply for PRL's postdoc position at Dartmouth! apply.interfolio.com/175722

🚨 3-Year Postdoc in Political Science at Aarhus University 🚨 I’m seeking to recruit a postdoc for my @erc.europa.eu research project 𝑬𝑸𝑼𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑩𝑹𝑰𝑼𝑴 on state-citizen interactions. Link and more information in second post. Position Start: Fall 2026 Application Deadline: ‼️ February 5, 2026, 23:59 CET ‼️

🚨 Job reminder 🚨 1 month left to apply for PRL's 2026-2027 postdoc at Dartmouth! Apply by January 5 on Interfolio apply.interfolio.com/175722

One of the most-viewed PNAS articles in the last week is “The potential existential threat of large language models to online survey research.” Explore the article here: https://ow.ly/CWvM50XzuBk For more trending articles, visit https://ow.ly/5q7x50XzuBi.

.@thefireorg.bsky.social’s most recent quarterly National Speech Index, conducted by the @prl.bsky.social at #Dartmouth, finds that a record number of Americans now believe that freedom of speech in the country is headed in the wrong direction.

Many have asked for the LLM Survey paper. The release was bungled a bit by PNAS, but it is live now: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Paper: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/55uok...

AI presents a fundamental threat to our ability to use polls to assess public opinion. Bad actors who are able to infiltrate panels can flip close election polls for less than the cost of a Starbucks coffee. Models will also infer and confirm hypotheses in experiments. Current quality checks fail

PRL welcomes postdoc applications at Dartmouth for 2026-2027. Work with @seanjwestwood.bsky.social & @ylelkes.bsky.social on projects like www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... and elite rhetoric analysis using americaspoliticalpulse.com/elites/ Pls apply by Jan 5 on Interfolio 🙏 apply.interfolio.com/175722

Very few Americans support actual political violence. Many more support intimidation. Almost no one thinks it’s appropriate to kill your political opponents, but many more would dox them. Read the latest: goodauthority.org/news/very-fe...

A non-partisan team has found reducing polarization and “partisan animosity” is remarkably difficult. “Without systemic change, America’s political divisions will only deepen,” says Annenberg associate professor Yphtach Lelkes.

⚠️New paper fothcoming in POQ! ⚠️ With @marcjacob.bsky.social and @seanjwestwood.bsky.social, we worried about norm-violating local politicians rising to higher office. We tested when voters defect from such politicians in local, state and federal races. osf.io/preprints/ps... 🧵...

Job 🚨! PRL is looking for a postdoc based at Dartmouth College for next year. Candidates should bring advanced data skills and enjoy writing. Read more about our work at polarizationresearchlab.org and apply through Interfolio by February 15, 2026: apply.interfolio.com/175722

“This isn’t a problem that can be fixed at the grassroots level alone.” Research from @prl.bsky.social, co-led by professor @seanjwestwood.bsky.social, finds most attempts to reduce partisan animosity are modest and fleeting. Structural reform and civic education are key to lasting depolarization.

"We are collecting data continuously so we have a baseline understanding of what level of support for political violence exists in our country.” Professor @seanjwestwood.bsky.social, director of @prl.bsky.social, discusses political violence in the U.S. on @theguardian.com’s Science Weekly podcast.

“The core problem is not a widespread desire for violence, but a profound misperception of the other side.” Professor @seanjwestwood.bsky.social, director of the @prl.bsky.social, reflects on a seeming cycle of political violence in America, via @politico.com.

A bullet casing found after the killing of Charlie Kirk had an inscription reading, “Hey fascist! Catch!” Charges of fascism have become a fixture of the nation’s political dialogue.

Experts on political violence say Charlie Kirk’s assassination alone won’t tear the country apart. Here’s what would.

Can America escape its spiral of political violence? 10 experts in the US and abroad give their takes on what comes next👇

PRL brought 10 Dartmouth undergraduates to DC in June to introduce them to people and orgs across the political spectrum working for democracy. Many thanks to those who hosted us!! home.dartmouth.edu/news/2025/07...

📢 The final piece of my dissertation is out in @polbehavior.bsky.social! Does being an ideologue matter for political disagreement—beyond how many issues are involved? It does, shaping both animosity and how people engage. 🧵https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-025-10049-z

Partisanship swamps other factors in determining support for recent policies, even when they seemingly implicate traditional support for free expression. Data from @thefireorg.bsky.social's April 2025 National Speech Index, part of @prl.bsky.social's fantastic national panel.

Negative partisanship is a helluva drug: Up until a few months ago, liberal and conservative Americans held pretty much the same views on free trade. Now, not so much…

More partisan atttitudinal asymmetries -- since the presidential election, Democrats' national pride/trust in government has collapsed, while Republicans' values have only edged upwards. Data from @prl.bsky.social

Prof. @ylelkes.bsky.social has been awarded a 2025 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. Lelkes, co-director of @prl.bsky.social, will study how political hostility is shaped in an overloaded information environment.

Dr. Sean Westwood studies how political hatred takes root—and why Americans may still be more committed to democracy than we think. A powerful look at polarization, resilience, and the future of civic life. 🎧 pod.link/1519411454

Pre-doc job🚨 PRL is looking for a post-graduate associate (pre-doc) researcher to join our team at Dartmouth studying elections and democracy. Have expertise in data science or political science? Pls apply and share! polarizationresearchlab.org/hiring/

While liberals have grown far more supportive of free trade during Trump's presidnecy, conservatives are unmoved. Data from @prl.bsky.social

🚨Why do masses support democratic backsliding?🚨 A new @AJPS_Editor paper with Yotam Margalit, @liorsheffer.bsky.social and Itamar Yakir explores this question in the Israeli context. Our findings emphasize the role of leader attachment and affective polarization. doi.org/10.1111/ajps...

In a new report using our global survey data, we show other democracies didn't expect Trump would win and were concerned about their country's relationship with the US under a Trump presidency, with only Israelis expressing optimism. Full report: prlpublic.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/reports/repo...

NEW - The Demand Side of Democratic Backsliding: How Divergent Understandings of Democracy Shape Political Choice - cup.org/4hy5Nrf - Natasha Wunsch, @marcjacob.bsky.social & Laurenz Derksen #OpenAccess

We're grateful to be a @carnegiecorp.bsky.social grantee studying how elected officials are driving polarization among Americans and capturing democratic attitudes over time.

🚨New data! Starting in February, PRL began asking Americans through our weekly @today.yougov.com survey about core issues and values including politics in the workplace, immigration, free speech, the economy, and tariffs. Track it all on our pulse site! americaspoliticalpulse.com/citizens/us-...

⚠️Job alert⚠️ PRL is accepting applications for a Data Scientist at Dartmouth College. Manage all data-related activities for the Lab. Skills in statistical analysis, machine learning and NLP, API integration, and web development. Read more and apply here: searchjobs.dartmouth.edu/postings/77313

It's not just economic perceptions -- partisans' generalized trust in government has swung since November. The share of Democrats who feel national pride has been cut in half! Data from @prl.bsky.social

Attitudes toward backsliding have shifted. In Aug '24, when we asked Americans if they felt the country was headed toward the end of democracy, Rs were much more likely to be worried. With new results in the first weeks of the Trump presidency, Ds are now the resigned party and Rs are optimistic.

Out now in Nature Human Behaviour: Our 68-country #survey on public attitudes to #science 📣 It shows: People still #trust scientists and support an active role of scientists in society and policy-making. #OpenAccess available here: www.nature.com/articles/s41... @natureportfolio.bsky.social (1/13)

Fact checkers don’t disproportionately scrutinize Republican members of congress, according to a study. Instead, fact-checks overwhelmingly focus on well-known politicians. It is fame, not party, that attracts the attention of fact-checkers. In PNAS Nexus: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ad...

Final 2 days to submit your application to be a postdoc with PRL⌛️ You'll need a CV, cover letter, 2 writing samples, and 3 recs by 11:59 PST on 1/15. You'll work on American attitudes and elite behavior using our data from americaspoliticalpulse.com Apply! polarizationresearchlab.org/hiring/

⚠️Job⚠️ Deadline to apply to our postdoc at the Polarization Research Lab is Jan. 15! We study democratic attitudes and behaviors. Postdocs have the opportunity to lead and propose projects and get a lot of writing experience. Join our group! polarizationresearchlab.org/hiring/

⌛️Final 2 days to apply for PRL's annual meeting! 🚨Join us to discuss democracy and attitudes in SLC on May 1-2. Air and meals funded. Deadline to submit below is 12/31 at 11:59 PST. polarizationresearchlab.org/annual-meeti...

Funded conference! Join PRL (Yphtach Lelkes, Sean Westwood, and Shanto Iyengar) in SLC on May 1-2 to discuss new work on democratic attitudes. Grad students/postdocs welcome. This is a small, funded meeting with great papers and discussion. Apply by 12/31 polarizationresearchlab.org/annual-meeti...

Job alert! Interested in working with PRL as a postdoc next year? Apply by January 15! We offer the opportunity to collaborate on and lead projects related to democratic attitudes, elite behavior, and more! polarizationresearchlab.org/hiring/