Annenberg School for Communication

Humans spread out in groups, clusters, and individuals conveying varying degrees of connectivity.

Which Americans are most isolationist? It may not be who you think

A course taught by Diana Mutz is designed to teach and implement research methodology, discovered a major shift in young Americans’ isolationist views on foreign aid.

Two children holding hands between two adults in a sunlit grassy area.

Do shared life experiences make it harder to understand others?

A new Annenberg School of Communication study reveals that having similar life experiences can actually diminish our ability to perceive other people’s unique feelings and circumstances.

Guobin Yang and the cover of the book called "The Wuhan Lockdown by Guobin Yang." The image shows a person fully covered in what appears like a hazmat suit next to a person in a hospital bed. They are outside.

Frontline voices from the pandemic’s early days

In his new book, “The Wuhan Lockdown,” Guobin Yang uses personal diaries from that city’s residents to recreate how it felt at the epicenter of what was then a scary and unknown new virus.

Desmond Patton appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor

Patton will be Penn’s Brian and Randi Schwartz University Professor, with joint appointments in the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Annenberg School for Communication and a secondary appointment in the Perelman School of Medicine.

Two cliffs, the left is an elephant, the right is a donkey, with a line of people on top of each.

Are Republicans and Democrats driven by hatred of one another? Less than you think

Rather than being fueled by animosity for the other side—negative partisanship—a new study finds that Americans are at least as motivated by the passion they have for their own party.

A hand holding a cigarette with just the torso of the person showing in the background.

How do media depictions of tobacco influence smoking decisions for young adults?

Two studies from the Annenberg School for Communication’s Robert Hornik find that media portrayals of such behaviors can change actions and perception, but how and by how much depends on a range of factors.

David Lydon-Staley sitting in a chair, pointing at the front of the room.

Moving away from ‘average,’ toward the individual

In a course from Annenberg’s David Lydon-Staley, seven graduate students conducted single-participant experiments. This approach, what’s known as an “n of 1,” may better capture the nuances of a diverse population than randomized control trials can.

Image: Marc Goldfarb

How storytelling can motivate us to help others

A new study from Annenberg School’s Communication Neuroscience Lab finds that personal stories—instead of cold facts—make people want to help keep others safe.

Interim president Wendell Pritchett interviewing Ken Burns.

Ben Franklin: A voice from the past that speaks to our time

At the 2022 Silfen Forum, Penn Interim President Wendell Pritchett chatted with filmmaker Ken Burns about his new two-part documentary on Benjamin Franklin.

People in the street hold signs that read, in Ukrainian and English, "Stop Russian Aggression."

Tech’s role in Russia’s war on Ukraine

Media scholar Courtney Radsch says tech platforms should have been faster to address Russian government propaganda, misinformation, and censorship.

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