Political Communication Lab
The Political Communication Lab is a research group that includes faculty and graduate students from Stanford University's Political Science and Communication 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.
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Fear and Loathing in the Body Politic, Stanford Magazine
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
Podcast hosted by political philosopher and Vanderbilt University professor Robert Talisse -
What Motivates Voters More Than Loyalty? Loathing, The New York Times
The building strength of partisan antipathy — “negative partisanship” — has radically altered politics. Anger has become the primary tool for motivating voters. -
Trump's Tool Kit Does Not Include the Constitution, The New York Times
Trump's attacks on the F.B.I. are a case study in his polarization strategy. -
Why party identity causes voters to stand behind their politicians – no matter what, The Washington Post
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
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
Often, one’s hatred of an opposing tribe is enough to overcome any doubts about one’s own. -
How We Became Bitter Political Enemies, The New York Times
“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.” -
The Real Story About Fake News Is Partisanship, The New York Times
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
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.
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.