(Dis)trust in America

Speaker: James Druckman, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, University of Rochester

Twenty-first century American politics has been tumultuous. Common explanations for America’s societal and political divide and seeming inability to act collectively include changes in media technology, elite polarization, social and ideological sorting, nationalization of institutions and unprecedented tribal polarization. This project instead argues that the most concerning and consequential development has been a polarization around trust in scientific institutions. This has come about due to partisan realignment and resulted in two parties—who are charged with collaborating to produce collective goods—operating from entirely distinct epistemologies.

This talk will be held in person and via Zoom.

Light refreshments will be served.

James Druckman is a professor of political science at the University of Rochester.

His research focuses on political preference formation and communication. His work examines how citizens make political, economic and social decisions in various contexts (e.g., settings with multiple competing messages, online information, deliberation). He also researches the relationship between citizens' preferences and public policy and the polarization of American society.

Druckman has published more than 150 articles and book chapters in political science, communication, economics, science and psychology journals. He has authored, co-authored, or co-edited the books Cambridge Handbook of Experimental Political Science(opens in a new tab), Who Governs? Presidents, Public Opinion, and Manipulation(opens in a new tab), Advances in Experimental Political Science(opens in a new tab), and Experimental Thinking: A Primer on Social Science Experiments(opens in a new tab). He has served as editor of the journals Political Psychology and Public Opinion Quarterly as well as the University of Chicago Press's series in American Politics.