News

We asked 10-year olds about the election. Here's what we learned, CNN, 9/2024 PDF
Opinion: Political Scientists Want to KNow Why We Hate One Another This Much, The New York Times, 6/2024 PDF
Opinion: Why Losing Political Power Now Feels Like 'Losing Your Country', The New York Times, 4/2024 PDF
Science is revealing why American politics are so intensely polarized, The Washington Post, 1/2024 PDF
Opinion: 'A Perfect Storm for the Ambitious, Extreme Ideologue', The New York Times, 9/2023 PDF
Opinion: The Politics of Delusion Have Taken Hold, The New York Times, 5/2023 PDF
Opinion: When It Comes to Eating Away at Democracy, Trump Is a Winner, The New York Times, 8/2022 PDF
Opinion: We're Staring at Our Phones, Full of Rage for 'the Other Side', The New York Times, 6/2022 PDF
Opinion: How Much Does How Much We Hate Each Other Matter?, The New York Times, 9/2021 PDF
Opinion: Biden Wants No Part of the Culture War the G.O.P. Loves, The New York Times, 3/2021 PDF
Opinion: Our political divide is dangerous. A neuroscientist and political scientist explain why, The Washington Post, 12/2020
The United States is more politically polarized than ever. The Post's Kate Woodsome gets the help of neuroscientist Jay Van Bavel and political scientist Shanto Iyengar to understand what drives political sectarianism — and what we can do about it.
Opinion: America, We Have a Problem - The rise of “political sectarianism” is putting us all in danger, The New York Times, 12/2020 PDF
GBH News Forum: An Examination of Political Polarization GBH, 11/2020
Who Watched the Debates on Television, Minute By Minute, The New York Times, 10/2020
The debate was one long negative ad. Undecided voters will walk away, The Washington Post, 10/2020 PDF
Research by Stephen Ansolabehere and Shanto Iyengar shows that negativity polarizes party members and alienates moderates.
The Media: Does the news change our minds? Is it all echo chambers? What can we do about it? AAPS Election Season 11/2020
Shanto Iyengar in discussion with Andrea jones-Rooy.
How to Counter the Forces Driving Political Polarization, Psychology Today, 9/2020 PDF
Recent research helps explain our current political animus.
Opinion: Whose America Is It? “Apocalyptic terms” have taken over the 2020 election, with potentially dangerous implications., The New York Times, 9/2020 PDF
A less than decisive Biden victory, coupled with Republicans’ willingness to accept Trump’s claims, may result in widespread protests and unrest.
Opinion: How Could Human Nature Have Become This Politicized?, The New York Times, 7/2020 PDF
The partisanship of the Trump era has very deep roots.
Fear and loathing across the party divide, Minnesota Public Radio, 4/2020 MP3
University of Minnesota Political science professor Larry Jacobs hosted the discussion, connecting up remotely Ramesh Ponnuru of the National Review and Shanto Iyengar of Stanford University.
Coronavirus Communication Could Make or Break Politicians, KQED, 4/2020 PDF
Trump’s Economic Cheerleading Is Suddenly Tested, The New York Times, 3/2020
The Audacity of Hate, The New York Times, 2/2020 PDF
Sood and Iyengar see the use of divisive campaign tactics increasing in the future
Is Politics a War of Ideas or of Us Against Them?, The New York Times, 11/2019 PDF
Why Has America Become So Divided?, Psychology Today, 9/2018 PDF
Hey, Progressives and Conservatives: You’re Stuck With Each Other, Reason, 8/2018 PDF
Iyengar and Krupenkin point out that political conflict has a tendency to escalate because, unlike with social divides such as race or religion, there’s no taboo against stepping up the hostility.
The Rise of McPolitics, The New Yorker, 6/2018 PDF
Which Side Are You On?, The New York Times, 5/2018 PDF
Identity politics makes Democrats and Republicans whose preferences on the issues are at odds with their party platform misperceive the party position so as to minimize dissonance.
Fear and Loathing in the Body Politic, Stanford Magazine, 5/2018 PDF
Shanto Iyengar and Neil Malhotra discuss affective polarization. Interparty animus is clearly manifest in real-world behaviors — and the pervasiveness of these effects is astonishing.
Polarization with Shanto Iyengar, Why We Argue, 3/2018
Podcast hosted by political philosopher and Vanderbilt University professor Robert Talisse
What Motivates Voters More Than Loyalty? Loathing, The New York Times, 3/2018 PDF
The building strength of partisan antipathy — “negative partisanship” — has radically altered politics. Anger has become the primary tool for motivating voters.
Why party identity causes voters to stand behind their politicians – no matter what, The Washington Post, 12/2017 PDF
Strong party identification is what has allowed some politicians to survive questions about racism, sexism and other major character deficits.
The Science of Science Communication III: Inspiring Novel Collaborations and Building Capacity Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium 12/2017
Shanto Iyengar talk on party polarization at this National Academy of Sciences event.
How Donald Trump Taught Conservatives to Defend Roy Moore, The New Yorker, 11/2017 PDF
Often, one’s hatred of an opposing tribe is enough to overcome any doubts about one’s own.
Trump's Tool Kit Does Not Include the Constitution, The New York Times, 10/2017
Trump's attacks on the F.B.I. are a case study in his polarization strategy.
The Party of Lincoln is now the Party of Trump, The New York Times, 10/2017 PDF
Democrats and Republicans are inclined to demonize the leadership of the opposing party.
Online vitriol and death threats – a way of life for MPs, Financial Times, 5/2017 PDF
PCL research shows access to broadband internet increases partisan hostility.
How We Became Bitter Political Enemies, The New York Times, 5/2017 PDF
“If you go back to the days of the Civil War, one can find cases in American political history where there was far more rancor and violence,” says Shanto Iyengar. “But in the modern era, there are no ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ — partisan animus is at an all-time high.”
Growing team mentality of Democrats, Republicans is pulling Americans apart , The Orange County Register 5/2017 PDF
In 1960, 5 percent of those surveyed said they’d be displeased if their children married someone from the other party. By 2010, more than 30 percent of Democrats and nearly 50 percent of Republicans felt that way.
Trump und die AfD Aus Wählern werden Stammeskrieger, Spiegel Online 2/2017 PDF
The Real Story About Fake News Is Partisanship, The New York Times 1/2017 PDF
Partisan tribalism makes people more inclined to seek out and believe stories that justify their pre-existing partisan biases, whether or not they are true.
Shanto Iyengar, Simon Jackman & Norman Ornstein on US Politics Sydney Opera House Talks & Ideas 9/2016
Is American politics dysfunctional or does it just look that way? What happens when aggressive hyper-partisanship collides with a political system that can only work co-operatively? Is the damage fatal to the democratic system?
The role of the media in the US presidential race, ABC (Australia), 9/2016 MP3
Shanto Iyengar discusses media coverage of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Did better broadband make Americans more partisan?, The Guardian, 8/2016 PDF
PCL researchers matched the attitudes of those who did and did not have broadband with data on partisan hostility from studies of voters beliefs in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections.
The Moral Tribalism of Contemporary Politics, Religion & Politics, 8/2016 PDF
In the 1960s and 70s, something like two-thirds of married couples came from the same political party. Today, that number is closer to 90 percent.
Report: Partisan Bad Blood Highest In Decades, NPR, 6/2016 PDF
Iyengar says the divide in cross-party relations has been steadily rising since the late 1980s. It doesn't surprise him that it's gotten worse.
The “I’m Rubber, You’re Glue” Candidate, New Republic, 6/2016 PDF
People who support Trump could care less how many people attack him.
How Social Media Is Shaping the Democratic Primary's Bitter End, WNYC, 6/2016 PDF
PCL study showed that information people disagreed with would be rejected as biased. Shanto Iyengar says that is a pretty good presage of our social media-bathed brains.
These Look Like Campaign Ads. But They’re Something Entirely Different, Time, 6/2016 PDF
Product advertising in general can benefit from the revulsion people feel toward campaign advertising because it looks more attractive and engaging by comparison—especially given the often negative tone of political ads.
American Anger: It’s Not the Economy. It’s the Other Party., The New York Times, 4/2016 PDF
A growing hostility toward members of the opposite party percolates into opinions about everyday life.
Joe Biden calls for civility in uncivil times, The Sacramento Bee, 3/2016 PDF
Advertisers May Suffer 'Political Crowd Out' as 2016 Elections Near, Ad Age, 2/2016 PDF
Advertisers fear spillover effect of negative political ads.
When Your Friends Don't Share Your Politics, Forbes, 2/2016 PDF
What Role Does Partisanship Play Outside of the Polls?, Science Friday, 1/2016 MP3
Shanto Iyengar discusses PCL study showing that the biggest social divide might not be race or religion, but rather political affiliation.
The Strongest Prejudice Was Identified, Edge, 1/2016 PDF
Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt considers PCL research on political polarization to be the most interesting recent scientific news.
Why This Year’s Christmas Season Is So Angry, Bloomberg Businessweek, 12/17/2015 PDF
"Political identity is fair game for hatred": how Republicans and Democrats discriminate, Vox, 12/7/2015 PDF
Even as American voters remain relatively centrist, they seem to be getting angrier and more fearful of the other side.
These political scientists are discovering even more reasons U.S. politics are a disaster, The Washington Post, 11/3/2015 PDF
Partisan distaste extends beyond presidential candidates in the other party to their supporters.
Carly Fiorina's rise in polls fueled by buzz, not facts, San Jose Mercury News, 10/2015 PDF
The factual validity of debate statements make almost no difference to the trajectory of the polls.
Blame absence of presidential greatness on media, The Gazette 8/2015 PDF
New Developments in Political Communication Research, Waseda University, 7/2015
In this international workshop Shanto Iyengar presented his research based on a comparative analysis of partisan polarization in the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium and Spain.
Comments by Shanto Iyengar, 2015 William S. Morris III Distinguished Lecturer at Texas Tech 4/2015
A candidates non-verbal qualities have a great impact on voter choice.
America’s new cycle of partisan hatred, The Washington Post, 4/2015. PDF
PCL study shows that Americans now discriminate more on the basis of party than on race, gender or any of the other divides we typically think of — and that discrimination extends beyond politics into personal relationships and non-political behaviors.
How Did Politics Get So Personal?, The New York Times, 1/2015 PDF
New findings suggest that the sources of dispute in contemporary life go far beyond ideological differences or mere polarization. They have become elemental, almost tribal, tapping into in-group loyalty and out-group enmity.
Why Partyism Is Wrong, The New York Times, 10/2014 PDF
David Brooks' opinion piece on PCL research showing that people are now less judgmental about different lifestyles, but they are more judgmental about policy labels.
Political animosity exceeds racial hostility, new Stanford research shows, Stanford Report, 10/2014 PDF
PCL research shows that Democrats and Republicans are increasingly polar opposites – their political biases spill over into their social lives.
Partyism now trumps racism, CNN, 9/2014
Partyism Trumps Racism, The Michael Smerconish Show, 9/2014 MP3
Smerconish talks about a new PCL study that shows that now, partyism - political affiliation, excedes racial prejudice among Americans.
'Partyism' Now Trumps Racism, Bloomberg View, 9/2014 PDF
Shanto Iyengar and PCL graduate student Sean Westwood conducted a large-scale implicit association test and found people’s political bias to be much larger than their racial bias.
In elections, even veteran incumbents pressured to debate, San Francisco Chronicle 3/2014 PDF
The conventional wisdom has always been that the candidate in the lead has fewer reasons to participate in a debate, however that may not be practical in the age of social media.
Forum: The Final Presidential Debate, KQED Radio, 10/2012 MP3
Analysis of the impact of the debate with Carla Marinucci, Henry Brady, and Shanto Iyengar.
Despite kingmaking expectations, Fox News seems neutral among GOP field, The Washington Post, 12/2011. PDF
Attacks make a better sales campaign, The Australian, 10/2011. PDF
Negative politics in US and Australia, ABC News 24 - The Drum, 10/2011 VIDEO
Politicians haven't always campaigned by attacking their opponents, but that those days are long past in both the US and Australia.
Still some of the old in new media age, The United States Studies Centre, 10/2011 VIDEO
In this interview Professor Shanto Iyengar discusses how political candidates in America are utilising new media in their efforts to be elected to public office.
Immigration in the US presidential campaign, Australian Broadcasting Corp., 10/2011 MP3
As the next presidential campaign in the United States begins to unfold, immigration's already elbowing its way into the picture. Shanto Iyengar talks with Ron Sutton.
Negative information about politics is positively appealing, says author, The Sydney Morning Herald, 10/2011. PDF
World News Australia interview with Shanto Iyengar, SBS, 10/2011
Shanto Iyengar speaks to SBS about the role religion has assumed in the US race for the Republican presidential nomination
The Rise of Negativity in Politics, Australian Broadcasting Corp., 10/2011 MP3, PDF
Shanto Iyengar discusses negative campaigning with Mike Colvin
Q&A: Stanford's Shanto Iyengar discusses upcoming State of the Union address, Stanford Report, 1/2011. PDF
The Breakdown: Do Negative Campaign Ads Sway Voters?, The Nation, 10/2010 MP3
The Nation's Chris Hayes podcast with Shanto Iyengar
Joe Arpaio and Al Sharpton's immigration road show, Politico, 4/2010. PDF
The national debate over immigration is being framed by a deeply personal and long-running argument between two of its most polarizing figures.
Interview with Shanto Iyengar, IE University, 4/2010.
Iyengar discusses the potential for cross-national political communication research during the Transactional Connections Symposium in Segovia Spain.
Edutainment: Political Communication, IE University, 4/2010.
Adrian Monck, John Kelly, Marc Smith and Shanto Iyengar were interviewed during the Transactional Connections Symposium in Segovia Spain.
The News Deficit: Public television's role in informing Americans, Columbia Journalism Review, 6/2009. PDF
Obama escapes Bradley effect, but race still a factor, Globe and Mail, 11/2008. PDF
Campaigns on the Attack, Does It Work?, with Shanto Iyengar, KPFA Morning Show, 10/2008.
Shanto Iyengar: Why Palin was a Mistake, Excerpt from Swissnex Panel: How Does News Media Impact Elections?, 10/2008. PANEL VIDEO
Researchers Say Voters Swayed by Candidates Who Share Their Looks, Stanford Report, 10/2008. PDF
Election 2008: The Advertising, washingtonpost.com, 8/2008. PDF
US Election Takes a Negative Turn, BBC News, 8/2008. PDF
Out of the press, out of mind, The Hill, 3/2008. PDF
Analysis: Will a Democrat cross the line to finish first?, The Dallas Morning News, 3/2008. PDF
When Negative is a Positive: Nasty Politics is Winning Politics, KPCC Pat Morrison Show, 1/2008. MP3
The Face of Power, Los Angeles Times, 1/2008. PDF
Presidential Ad Wars Heat Up: More Candidates Are Taking Their Signature Messages to TV Screens, Washington Post, 9/2007 PDF
Soft News, Hard Sell: Treating the Audience as Consumers, not Citizens, The Ripon Forum, 8/2007 PDF
Clinton's Campaign Embraces 'Social Networking', KGO-TV, 8/2007. PDF
Appearances may sway voters, but shouldn't overshadow serious campaign issues, Tribune-Star, 8/2007 PDF
Term limit backers direct focus on politicians' perks, Contra Costa Times, 5/2007 PDF
Opinion: Bad Public Policy Contributes to the Death Count, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 4/2007 PDF
New Ethics RulesDon't Stop Cash Flow, KGO, 1/2007 PDF
Washington Post "Media Politics" Discussion with Shanto Iyengar, washingtonpost.com, 11/2006 PDF
Negative Ads Turnoff Voters, Enthrall News Media: Researcher says attack ads help candidates dominate press coverage, washingtonpost.com, 11/2006 PDF
Scientists Track Effects of Negative Ads, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11/2006 PDF
Slipping in Political Mud, Toledo Blade, 11/2006 PDF
When it Comes to Campaign Ads, Klein, Shaw Play Rough, Sun-Sentinel, 11/2006 PDF
Wacky U.S. Election Ads Hit New Low in Personal Smears, Analysts Say, 570News.com, 10/2006 PDF
The Year Of Playing Dirtier: Negative Ads Get Positively Surreal, Washington Post, 10/2006 PDF
Campaign Ads on Oil Tax Mislead Public from Both Sides, Fort Worth Start-Telegram, 10/2006 PDF
In a War of Ads, Voters Lose, The Virginian-Pilot, 10/2006 PDF
In Experiment, Democrats' Ads Prove More Effective: More independent voters were swayed by Democratic appeals, washingtonpost.com, 10/2006
Attack Ads Turnoff Undecided Voters, Baltimore Sun, 9/2006 PDF
Who Said What? Issue Advertising and the 2006 Vote washingtonpost.com, 9/2006
Republican Candidates Stress Independence from Bush, Party in TV Ads, International Herald Tribune, 9/2006 PDF
Angelides and the Charisma Question, Los Angeles Times, 8/2006 PDF
How Common Ground of 9/11 Gave Way to Partisan Split, Washington Post, 7/2006 PDF
Mind the Gap: Differences in Public Knowledge about Domestic and Overseas Events, Washington Post, 7/2006
Unconventional Wisdom: Miserly Republicans, Unprincipled Democrats, Washington Post, 6/2006 PDF
Negative Campaigning Starts Early, KGO, 6/2006 PDF
Study participants favor whites over blacks for Katrina relief aid, San Francisco Chronicle, 6/2006 PDF
Natural Disasters in Black and White: How Racial Cues Influenced Public Response to Hurricane Katrina, Washington Post, 6/2006 PDF
Election fatigue could make polls a lonely place, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6/2006 PDF
Ad Attacks Lt. Governor-Candidate Garamendi, KGO, 6/2006 PDF
Westly Stumbles in the Mud, Los Angeles Times, 5/2006 PDF
Red Media, Blue Media: Evidence for a Political Litmus Test in Online News Readership, Washington Post, 5/2006
Polarization Across Party Lines, or Politics as Contact Sport, Washington Post, 3/2006
What's in a Face: Testing the Familiarity-Likeability Connection, Washington Post, 2/2006 PDF
Governor stakes political capital on 'year of reform' initiatives, The Mercury News, 10/2005
Democratization of Media and Information Societies - Potential and Reality, Swiss Centre for Studies on the Global Information Society Conference Keynote, Shanto Iyengar, 6/2005
Subtle product plugs seen in governor's TV ad, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/2005
No offseason for political ads, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/2005
Fact Check: Unions Vs. Gov. Schwarzenegger, AP, 5/2005
Don't Tell Me Again, Washington Post, 4/2005
Playing the fear card, Guardian, 4/2005
Media Blitz mars Mayoral Campaign, KPCC AirTalk, 4/2005
A Good Dirty Fight, New York Times, 11/2004
Ads Push the Factual Envelope, Washington Post, 11/2004
Vice Presidential Debates, KQED Forum, 11/2004
Winning the war of words, Salon.com, 11/2004
Bin Laden's Image Crops Up in Ads, Los Angeles Times, 10/2004
Edwards and Cheney Prepare for Ohio Showdown, National Public Radio, 10/2004
Block the Vote, Wall Street Journal, 10/2004
Edwards Is No Cheney -- And That's the Plan, Washington Post, 10/2004
Why a Conflicted Kerry Voted Yes -- and Later No -- on Iraq, Los Angeles Times, 7/2004
Party-Funded Ads to Help Kerry 'Ride Wave', Los Angeles Times, 7/2004
From Bush, Unprecedented Negativity, Washington Post, 5/2004
Edwards Wins: A Theory Tested, New York times, 5/2004
Using M.R.I.'s To See Politics On the Brain, New York times, 4/2004
How the images of prison abuse shape perceptions of the war, Christian Science Monitor, 4/2004
TV Ads Portray Bush Tackling Tough Times, Washington Post, 3/2004
Primary Colors: The Presidential Primary System, Uncommon Knowledge, 3/2000