Are opinions on controversial political issues as divided as many people perceive them to be? Researchers from the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen, the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) in Vienna and the University of California Merced have addressed this question in a new social science study. The results have now been published in PNAS Nexus.
Perceived polarization may reflect inner circle agreement more than actual societal division
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The Christchurch terrorist’s so-called manifesto wasn’t an honest account of his motives, but a calculated piece of propaganda designed to mislead the public, manipulate emotions and inspire further violence.This post was originally published on this [...]
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The fears are familiar: Artificial intelligence is going to eat our jobs, make our students weak and lazy and possibly destroy democracy for good measure.This post was originally published on this site
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Humor has become one of the most potent weapons in the populist politician’s playbook. Comedic populists like Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and Argentinian president Javier Milei use ridicule, absurdity and sarcasm not just [...]
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In World War II, Britain was fighting for its survival against German aerial bombardment. Yet Britain was importing dyes from Germany at the same time. This sounds curious, to put it mildly. How can two [...]
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The brains of politically extreme individuals, whether left- or right-leaning, appear to respond to and process political information in surprisingly similar ways, according to research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The [...]
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AI is already changing the way many of us work, but in the delicate art of diplomatic relations between nations, a former diplomat has warned colleagues to be careful using the tool.This post was originally [...]
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Growing dissatisfaction among the population, loss of trust in politics, increase in crime and violence: Economic inequality leads to a variety of social consequences. Nevertheless, the issue plays a much smaller role in the election [...]
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University of Texas at Arlington researcher Kathleen Preble is expanding her human trafficking research from Missouri to Texas, aiming to create a blueprint other states can use to address this growing problem.This post was originally [...]
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While previous research shows outrage and division drive engagement on social media, a new study of digital behavior during the 2024 US election finds that this effect flips during a major crisis—when “ingroup solidarity” becomes [...]
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More than 70% of voters in Colorado’s Douglas County, conservative and progressive alike, voted “no” on home rule in June 2025. The ballot measure would have granted the county increased control over certain local matters [...]
