Political Communication Lab
The Political Communication Lab is a research group that includes faculty and graduate students from Stanford University's Communication and Political Science departments who work on large-scale content analysis of news and elite rhetoric, experimental studies of political polarization, and cross-national investigations — spanning more than fourteen countries — of public opposition to immigration.
— PCL News and Highlights —
The third edition of Media Politics: A Citizen's Guide is now available for purchase.
Media Politics encourages students to examine how the media affect American politics and how politicians influence the media in order get elected, stay in power, and achieve policy goals. Drawing on recent events and the most current research, including the work of Professor Iyengar, Media Politics is the most up-to-date introductory text available.
- View the 2016 Presidential General Election Campaign ads.
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Shanto Iyengar, Simon Jackman & Norman Ornstein on US Politics Sydney Opera House Talks & Ideas
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)
Shanto Iyengar discusses media coverage of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. -
Did better broadband make Americans more partisan?, The Guardian
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 Hostile Audience: The Effect of Access to Broadband Internet on Partisan Affect, Y. Lelkes, G. Sood & S. Iyengar
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Report: Partisan Bad Blood Highest In Decades, NPR
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
People who support Trump could care less how many people attack him. -
How Social Media Is Shaping the Democratic Primary's Bitter End, WNYC
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
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. -
What Role Does Partisanship Play Outside of the Polls?, Science Friday
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
Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt considers PCL research on political polarization to be the most interesting recent scientific news. - "Political identity is fair game for hatred": how Republicans and Democrats discriminate, Vox
Even as American voters remain relatively centrist, they seem to be getting angrier and more fearful of the other side.
Research Objectives
The lab was formed to develop and administer experimental studies of public opinion and political behavior through the use of both online and traditional methods. The advantages of online experimentation are clear in light of the explosion in the number of households with access to the Internet. Moreover, issues of sampling bias -- previously endemic to experiments -- can be overcome through the greater "reach" of online experiments and by the application of standard probability sampling techniques to the recruitment of online experimental participants. These developments significantly alleviate concerns over the generalizability of experimental research and as a result, experiments now represent a dominant methodology for political communication researchers.