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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Opinion: Our political divide is dangerous. A neuroscientist and political scientist explain why, The Washington Post
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. - Who Watched the Debates on Television, Minute By Minute, The New York Times
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The debate was one long negative ad. Undecided voters will walk away, The Washington Post
Research by Stephen Ansolabehere and Shanto Iyengar shows that negativity polarizes party members and alienates moderates. -
How to Counter the Forces Driving Political Polarization, Psychology Today
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
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
The partisanship of the Trump era has very deep roots. - Fear and loathing across the party divide, Minnesota Public Radio
- Partisan Gaps in Political Information and Information-Seeking Behavior: Motivated Reasoning or Cheerleading?, E. Peterson & S. Iyengar
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The Audacity of Hate, The New York Times
Sood and Iyengar see the use of divisive campaign tactics increasing in the future
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.