Why some people vote against their own beliefs

Many low-education voters who embrace social welfare programs vote against their own beliefs, new UC Riverside research holds. The mitigating factor is education: The more education one has, the more likely one is to stick to one’s policy preferences. “It means candidates who employ tactics such as fear and attaching...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

'I know that we're going to get through it'

As election day morphs into election days, UC Riverside’s students are like voters red and blue alike: seeking comfort where they can find it. “I think everyone wanted a definite result. We did not get that,” said political scientist Shaun Bowler. In a Zoom session on Wednesday morning, more than...

Political scientists make battleground state predictions

UC Riverside political science professors were polled on their predictions for eight battleground states, and the results carry some optimism for the Joe Biden camp.

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Voters and multiracial candidates? It's complicated

There is a whole new dynamic that pundits, campaign managers, and voters will be negotiating in American politics, and the starting gun has already been fired. That is, the complicated — so says the research — dynamic of how voters regard multiracial candidates. On the national stage, it began with...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education