Is depolarization possible?
Notre Dame political scientist studies cross-partisan chat discussions
Erin Rossiter is willing to stick her hand in the sizzling-hot fire of political discussions in a deeply polarized America.
The Notre Dame political scientist is more courageous than most, but her research has found surprising results—that people who have cross-partisan discussions often feel more positive about the other side after their experience. Still, the experiment is likely safer under her supervision than trying it at your extended family dining table at Thanksgiving.
Rather than survey people on how they feel about their own political discussions, Rossiter matches people from different political beliefs for online chats. Then she can analyze the discussions to see how they unfold and gauge the participants’ reactions afterward.
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on November 01, 2024.
Latest Research
- A game, not a grind: Notre Dame students develop mobile app to make math funStudents often say that math is their least favorite subject—too abstract, too much about memorizing rules and formulae, and, frankly, not much fun. That’s why two Notre Dame students have created an educational, gamified math app, Pi-Squared. Their mobile phone app, designed for students aged 15-18, prepares users for standardized math exams, while also appealing to those who enjoy math puzzles.
- ‘Who the messenger is matters’: Lakshmi Iyer shows that cultural leaders can positively influence population growthFertility rates across the world have been steadily dropping since 1950. Pinpointing the reasons is at the heart of Lakshmi Iyer's work as a professor of economics and global affairs. Her research exemplifies the kind of population-level research that Notre Dame Population Analytics (ND Pop), a new research initiative at the University, seeks to foster.
- ND Founders Profile #164: Turning waste into opportunity — Ben Moore’s mission to reduce food waste with The Ugly CompanyAfter being discharged from the Army due to an injury, Ben Moore returned to his family’s farm in California’s San Joaquin Valley, a region that produces nearly 80 percent of the fruit and nuts consumed in the United States. However, when his father, a fourth-generation farmer, explained there was…
- American studies professor wins Russell Sage Foundation grant for research on untold Southeast Asian refugee stories…
- Lee Gettler, professor of anthropology, elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceOn Thursday, March 27, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announced the 2024 class of AAAS Fellows including Lee Gettler, the Rev. John A. O’Brien College Professor of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame.
- Rare disease drug nitisinone makes human blood deadly to mosquitoesA study in Science Translational Medicine found when patients take the drug nitisinone, their blood becomes deadly to mosquitoes.
