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Annenberg School for Communication
Ten from Penn elected 2021 AAAS Fellows
Ten scholars representing five schools across the University of Pennsylvania have been named to the 2021 class of American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows, recognized for their “scientifically and socially distinguished achievements.”
Want to reduce political polarization? Start by looking beyond politics
New research from PIK University Professor Duncan Watts sheds light on how even hardliners can be swayed when coming in contact with opposing viewpoints.
A novel theory on how conspiracy theories take shape
In a new book, Dolores Albarracín, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, and colleagues show that two factors—the conservative media and societal fear and anxiety—have driven recent widespread conspiracies, from Pizzagate to those around COVID-19 vaccines.
What can be done to prevent and resist image-based abuse?
A virtual symposium held by Annenberg’s Center for Media at Risk and the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative brought together experts from around the world to analyze the abuse commonly referred to as “revenge porn.”
Parental praise associated with longer toddler toothbrushing, a barometer of persistence
Using a first-of-its-kind video-based study, Penn and Yale developmental psychologists found that how parents talk to their 3-year-old during toothbrushing matters to the child’s behavior.
Ten years later, examining the Occupy movement’s legacy
For Jessa Lingel of the Annenberg School for Communication, a decade after Occupy Wall Street’s beginnings presented an opportunity for reflection, which she led this fall semester in a new course.
PIK Professor Kevin Johnson named University Professor
Kevin Johnson, who has appointments in the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication, will become the David L. Cohen University Professor.
Brief intervention increased physical activity in African American men living with HIV
A new study finds that with just three sessions, participants improved both their aerobic and muscle strengthening activities, which could help them live longer and more active lives.
Emphasizing short-term effects can help prevent and reduce youth smoking
A recent study by Annenberg researchers finds that anti-tobacco campaigns focused on tangible, short-term consequences are a promising way to prevent young people from smoking and encouraging them to quit.
What big data reveals about online extremism
Homa Hosseinmardi and her colleagues at Penn’s Computational Social Science Lab studied browsing data from 300,000 Americans to gain insights into how online radicalization occurs, and to help develop solutions.
In the News
Trust in science hasn’t fully recovered from pandemic controversies
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that Republican lawmakers engaged in a sustained attack on a sector of science during and after the pandemic.
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More than two million voters backed both Trump and abortion access
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that Donald Trump’s ambiguity on abortion served him well during his campaign.
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Donald Trump, evangelicals and the 2024 MAGA coalition
Shawn Patterson Jr. of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that Donald Trump was largely an apolitical figure in 2016 with a wide array of celebrity relationships, donations to candidates of both parties, and a career in New York real estate.
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The U.S. has a new strategy for combating foreign election interference, but is it working?
According to Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, democracies are based on common understandings, among them that rival political factions will accept election outcomes and work to win back power at the next opportunity.
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How a rave with Bill Nye and Quavo turned out droves of early voters at City Hall
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that some celebrities aren’t helpful to political candidates because their followers are already engaged and have already made up their minds.
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