Field
Political Science
Project Description
Negativity biases are well established, in news consumption and in human behavior more generally. A nascent literature nevertheless suggests the potential for public affairs content in which empathy, altruism and compassion—and positivity more generally—play a more prominent role. Shifting the tone of public affairs content may be beneficial in several ways, by increasing news consumption, efficacy, political engagement, and mental health, and by reducing disaffection and polarization. This project consequently uses news consumption data from social media to examine the possibility that there is an ‘audience’ for kindness.
Team
Stuart Soroka
Stuart Soroka is a Professor in the Departments of Communication and Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles. his research focuses on political communication, political psychology, and the relationships between public policy, public opinion, and mass media. He recent work on the role of mass media in representative democracy, and on negativity (and positivity) in news coverage.