Jonathan Ladd
@jonmladd.bsky.social
I'm a political scientist in @mccourtschool.bsky.social. I study trust in institutions and media effects on the public.
Web page: https://www.jonathanmladd.com/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=J6tt69QAAAAJ&hl
Apologies for typos.
Web page: https://www.jonathanmladd.com/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=J6tt69QAAAAJ&hl
Apologies for typos.
Before marrying V.O. Key, Cora Luella Gettys was one of the first women to receive a PhD in political science. In addition to publications in her own name, she was an RA to many political scientists in the "Chicago School" in the 20s & 30s, and edited without authorship VO's most influential books.
November 25, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Before marrying V.O. Key, Cora Luella Gettys was one of the first women to receive a PhD in political science. In addition to publications in her own name, she was an RA to many political scientists in the "Chicago School" in the 20s & 30s, and edited without authorship VO's most influential books.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
The decline of religion as a source of meaning in people's lives remains underrated as a factor shaping society. The need doesn't go away - they just seek it out elsewhere in (often false) health/wellness beliefs, (often highly polarized/conflictual) politics, etc. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/o...
November 25, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The decline of religion as a source of meaning in people's lives remains underrated as a factor shaping society. The need doesn't go away - they just seek it out elsewhere in (often false) health/wellness beliefs, (often highly polarized/conflictual) politics, etc. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/o...
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
Distinct from, but obviously correlated with, religiosity: just having a place to go to hang out with people once or twice a week is a good bulwark against loneliness!
www.ymrp.org/polling
www.ymrp.org/polling
November 25, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Distinct from, but obviously correlated with, religiosity: just having a place to go to hang out with people once or twice a week is a good bulwark against loneliness!
www.ymrp.org/polling
www.ymrp.org/polling
In the GSS, the much-discussed U.S. decline in sexual activity is primarily concentrated among married people of all ages and among singles in their teens and early 20s. The overall decline in the marriage rate has also caused the overall decline in activity.
(Analysis by @ryanburge.bsky.social.)
(Analysis by @ryanburge.bsky.social.)
November 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM
In the GSS, the much-discussed U.S. decline in sexual activity is primarily concentrated among married people of all ages and among singles in their teens and early 20s. The overall decline in the marriage rate has also caused the overall decline in activity.
(Analysis by @ryanburge.bsky.social.)
(Analysis by @ryanburge.bsky.social.)
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
Current personal Star Wars ranking, including all live-action movies and the series I've watched (Mando, Boba and Obi-Wan)
Very enjoyable:
V ≥ Andor ≥ IV > Mando > VI ≥ VIII > Rogue
Enjoyable for me, but with flaws:
III > VII > Obi-Wan
These are bad:
Boba > Solo >> II >> I > IX
Very enjoyable:
V ≥ Andor ≥ IV > Mando > VI ≥ VIII > Rogue
Enjoyable for me, but with flaws:
III > VII > Obi-Wan
These are bad:
Boba > Solo >> II >> I > IX
November 25, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Current personal Star Wars ranking, including all live-action movies and the series I've watched (Mando, Boba and Obi-Wan)
Very enjoyable:
V ≥ Andor ≥ IV > Mando > VI ≥ VIII > Rogue
Enjoyable for me, but with flaws:
III > VII > Obi-Wan
These are bad:
Boba > Solo >> II >> I > IX
Very enjoyable:
V ≥ Andor ≥ IV > Mando > VI ≥ VIII > Rogue
Enjoyable for me, but with flaws:
III > VII > Obi-Wan
These are bad:
Boba > Solo >> II >> I > IX
Mainstream tech startup behavior and what Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos did is much more like points on a continuum than a bright line distinction.
Founders on LinkedIn still seem to be struggling with the difference between telling people about their humble beginnings and admitting to straight up committing fraud.
November 25, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Mainstream tech startup behavior and what Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos did is much more like points on a continuum than a bright line distinction.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
NEW: President Biden commuted the death sentences of most people on the federal death row before exiting office.
President Trump is now effectively looking to retaliate, and to detain those people in the most brutal conditions in the federal system. Bolts reports:
boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
President Trump is now effectively looking to retaliate, and to detain those people in the most brutal conditions in the federal system. Bolts reports:
boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
Death Row Prisoners Granted Clemency by Biden Brace for "Living Hell" Under Trump - Bolts
This story was produced by Bolts and published in partnership with The Nation. Inside the federal supermax tucked away in Colorado’s high desert, prisoners spend 22 to 24 hours a day... Read More
boltsmag.org
November 24, 2025 at 4:58 PM
NEW: President Biden commuted the death sentences of most people on the federal death row before exiting office.
President Trump is now effectively looking to retaliate, and to detain those people in the most brutal conditions in the federal system. Bolts reports:
boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
President Trump is now effectively looking to retaliate, and to detain those people in the most brutal conditions in the federal system. Bolts reports:
boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
Current personal Star Wars ranking, including all live-action movies and the series I've watched (Mando, Boba and Obi-Wan)
Very enjoyable:
V ≥ Andor ≥ IV > Mando > VI ≥ VIII > Rogue
Enjoyable for me, but with flaws:
III > VII > Obi-Wan
These are bad:
Boba > Solo >> II >> I > IX
Very enjoyable:
V ≥ Andor ≥ IV > Mando > VI ≥ VIII > Rogue
Enjoyable for me, but with flaws:
III > VII > Obi-Wan
These are bad:
Boba > Solo >> II >> I > IX
November 25, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Current personal Star Wars ranking, including all live-action movies and the series I've watched (Mando, Boba and Obi-Wan)
Very enjoyable:
V ≥ Andor ≥ IV > Mando > VI ≥ VIII > Rogue
Enjoyable for me, but with flaws:
III > VII > Obi-Wan
These are bad:
Boba > Solo >> II >> I > IX
Very enjoyable:
V ≥ Andor ≥ IV > Mando > VI ≥ VIII > Rogue
Enjoyable for me, but with flaws:
III > VII > Obi-Wan
These are bad:
Boba > Solo >> II >> I > IX
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
“Experimental data from largest online survey of Irish Americans reveal learning about African Americans with Irish ancestry reduces prejudice among white Irish Americans who identify with Irish American identity, and effects are mostly driven by Republicans…” www.jasmineenglish.net/uploads/1/4/...
November 24, 2025 at 9:52 PM
“Experimental data from largest online survey of Irish Americans reveal learning about African Americans with Irish ancestry reduces prejudice among white Irish Americans who identify with Irish American identity, and effects are mostly driven by Republicans…” www.jasmineenglish.net/uploads/1/4/...
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
When 'When Prophecy Fails' Fails:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
(h/t @ethanvporter.bsky.social )
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
(h/t @ethanvporter.bsky.social )
Debunking “When Prophecy Fails”
In 1954, Dorothy Martin predicted an apocalyptic flood and promised her followers rescue by flying saucers. When neither arrived, she recanted, her group dissolved, and efforts to proselytize ceased....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:28 PM
When 'When Prophecy Fails' Fails:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
(h/t @ethanvporter.bsky.social )
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
(h/t @ethanvporter.bsky.social )
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
November 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
"The high-income admissions advantage at Ivy-Plus colleges is driven by....(1) preferences for children of alumni, (2) weight placed on non-academic credentials, and (3) athletic recruitment" which are "uncorrelated or negatively correlated with post-college outcomes" unlike SAT/ACT scores
Recently accepted by #QJE, “Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges,” by Chetty (@Oppinsights), Deming, and Friedman: doi.org/10.1093/qje/...
Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges*
Abstract. We use anonymized admissions data from several colleges linked to income tax records and SAT and ACT test scores to study the determinants and ca
doi.org
November 23, 2025 at 9:29 PM
"The high-income admissions advantage at Ivy-Plus colleges is driven by....(1) preferences for children of alumni, (2) weight placed on non-academic credentials, and (3) athletic recruitment" which are "uncorrelated or negatively correlated with post-college outcomes" unlike SAT/ACT scores
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
Some incredible details in this piece
*one DOGE faction was planning the future of the US government at a venture capital firm
*illegally communicating on Signal to avoid transparency laws was deeply embedded into organizational culture to be taken for granted
*one DOGE faction was planning the future of the US government at a venture capital firm
*illegally communicating on Signal to avoid transparency laws was deeply embedded into organizational culture to be taken for granted
November 22, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Some incredible details in this piece
*one DOGE faction was planning the future of the US government at a venture capital firm
*illegally communicating on Signal to avoid transparency laws was deeply embedded into organizational culture to be taken for granted
*one DOGE faction was planning the future of the US government at a venture capital firm
*illegally communicating on Signal to avoid transparency laws was deeply embedded into organizational culture to be taken for granted
As Lincoln said, an “electric cord” connects all our successive immigrant generations to the founding principles of human equality and republican government. Commitment to these principles, not blood and soil, make people Americans. www.uvu.edu/ccs/docs/lin...
November 22, 2025 at 11:36 PM
As Lincoln said, an “electric cord” connects all our successive immigrant generations to the founding principles of human equality and republican government. Commitment to these principles, not blood and soil, make people Americans. www.uvu.edu/ccs/docs/lin...
Tom is correct. The big mistake was Biden running. No good solution by June/July of 2024.
And at the end of the day, the poor real income growth that resulted from the inflation would have held back any Democratic nominee. Not clear the main problem was the nominee at all.
And at the end of the day, the poor real income growth that resulted from the inflation would have held back any Democratic nominee. Not clear the main problem was the nominee at all.
I disagree with Eric here. I think a quick mini primary would have turned into a shit show.
Obama feebly tried to stage an open convention. That would have been much, much better.
It was never clear to me why Democrats rallied around Harris so immediately, except for some weird notion on appearing unified.
It was never clear to me why Democrats rallied around Harris so immediately, except for some weird notion on appearing unified.
November 22, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Tom is correct. The big mistake was Biden running. No good solution by June/July of 2024.
And at the end of the day, the poor real income growth that resulted from the inflation would have held back any Democratic nominee. Not clear the main problem was the nominee at all.
And at the end of the day, the poor real income growth that resulted from the inflation would have held back any Democratic nominee. Not clear the main problem was the nominee at all.
I don't think this is a correct description of America's party system.
November 22, 2025 at 7:28 PM
I don't think this is a correct description of America's party system.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
The article is framed as: "Jordan Walsh did a good job guarding Harden. His only mistake was fouling him too often." It all sounds reasonable until you look at the clips of the "fouls" (halfway down the article). www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...
Jordan Walsh's defensive education continues as Celtics escape James Harden, Clippers
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:13 PM
The article is framed as: "Jordan Walsh did a good job guarding Harden. His only mistake was fouling him too often." It all sounds reasonable until you look at the clips of the "fouls" (halfway down the article). www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...
Unlike Elon Musk here, I don't think we should repeal a substantial portion of our Constitution. Our Constitution is good.
Here's another Musk post worth examining.
OP is talking about an Iowa superintendent detained by ICE.
"The Kitty Man" replies and not only compares the superintendent to a Somali pirate but also bashes the 14th-19th Amendments to the Constitution.
Musk replies with the "tears of joy" emoji.
OP is talking about an Iowa superintendent detained by ICE.
"The Kitty Man" replies and not only compares the superintendent to a Somali pirate but also bashes the 14th-19th Amendments to the Constitution.
Musk replies with the "tears of joy" emoji.
November 22, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Unlike Elon Musk here, I don't think we should repeal a substantial portion of our Constitution. Our Constitution is good.
What I really want is for Ken Burns to remake a new Civil War documentary, incorporating changes in the academic consensus, his own evolution as a filmmaker, and criticisms of the original he seems to have taken to heart at least partially.
I bet no foundations would fund it, though.
I bet no foundations would fund it, though.
November 22, 2025 at 5:50 PM
What I really want is for Ken Burns to remake a new Civil War documentary, incorporating changes in the academic consensus, his own evolution as a filmmaker, and criticisms of the original he seems to have taken to heart at least partially.
I bet no foundations would fund it, though.
I bet no foundations would fund it, though.
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
This is a great job for early-career polling folks. Plus, you’d get to work with the delightful @emgusk.bsky.social ! www.disneycareers.com/en/job/washi...
Polling Analyst at DISNEY
Learn more about applying for Polling Analyst at DISNEY
www.disneycareers.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:27 PM
This is a great job for early-career polling folks. Plus, you’d get to work with the delightful @emgusk.bsky.social ! www.disneycareers.com/en/job/washi...
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
Many have asked for the LLM Survey paper. The release was bungled a bit by PNAS, but it is live now: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
The potential existential threat of large language models to online survey research | PNAS
The advancement of large language models poses a severe, potentially existential threat
to online survey research, a fundamental tool for data coll...
www.pnas.org
November 20, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Many have asked for the LLM Survey paper. The release was bungled a bit by PNAS, but it is live now: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
ICYMI: We have updated our seemingly unending catalog of Trump's atrocities to include October 2025. Feel free to print out and share with all your relatives this Thanksgiving.
Lest We Forget the Horrors: An Unending Catalog of Trump’s Cruelties, Collusions, Corruptions, and Crimes: October 2025: Atrocities 467-529
Early in President Trump’s first term, McSweeney’s editors began to catalog the head-spinning number of misdeeds coming from his administration. We...
buff.ly
November 20, 2025 at 2:03 PM
ICYMI: We have updated our seemingly unending catalog of Trump's atrocities to include October 2025. Feel free to print out and share with all your relatives this Thanksgiving.
The article is framed as: "Jordan Walsh did a good job guarding Harden. His only mistake was fouling him too often." It all sounds reasonable until you look at the clips of the "fouls" (halfway down the article). www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...
Jordan Walsh's defensive education continues as Celtics escape James Harden, Clippers
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:13 PM
The article is framed as: "Jordan Walsh did a good job guarding Harden. His only mistake was fouling him too often." It all sounds reasonable until you look at the clips of the "fouls" (halfway down the article). www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...
Reposted by Jonathan Ladd
Musk's Grokipedia cites a neo-Nazi website 42 times, researchers say www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-mu... via @nbcnews
"...Grokipedia includes 12,522 citations to online sources that previous academic research has deemed as having very low credibility."
"The guardrails are off."
"...Grokipedia includes 12,522 citations to online sources that previous academic research has deemed as having very low credibility."
"The guardrails are off."
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia cites Stormfront — a neo-Nazi forum — dozens of times, study finds
An analysis by researchers at Cornell University is the first comprehensive look at Grokipedia since Musk launched his project last month.
www.nbcnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Musk's Grokipedia cites a neo-Nazi website 42 times, researchers say www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-mu... via @nbcnews
"...Grokipedia includes 12,522 citations to online sources that previous academic research has deemed as having very low credibility."
"The guardrails are off."
"...Grokipedia includes 12,522 citations to online sources that previous academic research has deemed as having very low credibility."
"The guardrails are off."