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Scott Clifford

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H-index: 26
Political science 37%
Sociology 20%
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford

emollick.bsky.social
A cautiously optimistic result on AI and disinformation.

A week before 2024 UK elections 13% of all voters used AI to ask about political topics. A randomized trial found this may be good: using AI led to similar gains in true knowledge as doing web research, regardless of model & prompt used.
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Jacob Montgomery, Eric Hehman , and 1 more

xrg.bsky.social
We often hear from reviewers: "what about demand effects?" So we developed a method to eliminate them. Something weird happened during testing: We couldn’t detect demand effects in the first place! (1/8)
Summary of design and results from our three studies. (A: Design) Each study used a similar experimental design, measuring both positive and negative demand in an online experiment, with three commonly-used task types (dictator game, vignette, intervention). Our experiments had ns ≈ 250 per cell. (B: Results) Observed demand effects were statistically indistinguishable from zero. The plot shows means and 95% confidence intervals for standardized mean differences derived from frequentist analyses of each experiment and an inverse variance-weighted fixed-effect estimator pooling all experiments (solid bars). Prior measurements of experimenter demand from a previous dictator game experiment (de Quidt et al., 2018; standardized mean difference from regression coefficient) and a meta-analysis primarily including small-sample, in-person studies (Coles et al., 2025; Hedge’s g statistic) are also shown for comparison (striped bars). The main text includes Bayesian analyses that quantify our uncertainty.
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Mark J. Brandt, Alexander Wuttke , and 2 more

kristinabsimonsen.bsky.social
📣 MORAL APPEALS IN POLITICAL COMMUNICATION 📣
New version of @twidmann.bsky.social and my working paper answering:
* Have moral appeals increased over time?
* Is the tendency to moralize ideologically patterned?
* Are some topics consistently more moralized than others?
osf.io/preprints/os...
OSF
osf.io
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Michael J. Nelson, Efrén O. Pérez , and 4 more

ntd.bsky.social
colleagues in political science. the formal update to the Garand and Giles journal ranking survey is now live. many of you will receive an email momentarily inviting you to participate. in the event you do NOT receive an invitation, please see this website to self-enroll. thanks! sharing = caring!
Participating
The Evaluation of Publication in Political Research study is open to serious producers and consumers of political research, including faculty in institutions of higher education, doctoral students,…
eppr.study
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Efrén O. Pérez, Jacob Montgomery

jepsjournal.bsky.social
Now Out on First View: "Can (Thin) Populism be Manipulated without Manipulating Host Ideology? Evidence from a Conjoint Validation Approach"
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Can (Thin) Populism be Manipulated without Manipulating Host Ideology? Evidence from a Conjoint Validation Approach | Journal of Experimental Political Science | Cambridge Core
Can (Thin) Populism be Manipulated without Manipulating Host Ideology? Evidence from a Conjoint Validation Approach
www.cambridge.org
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Mario Gollwitzer, Efrén O. Pérez , and 1 more

fabianneuner.bsky.social
New preregistered report @jepsjournal.bsky.social

"Thin" populism treatments manipulate perceptions of people-centrism + anti-elitism

But: some treatments (e.g., "American people") affect perceptions of host ideology, complicating causal analyses of impact of populist rhetoric

cup.org/4n3DvZm
Abstract for paper: Scholars increasingly conceptualize populism by whether politicians use people-centric and anti-elite appeals that pit a homogeneous people against a corrupt elite. These appeals reflect “thin” ideology because they offer no programmatic content and thus politicians must pair these appeals with more substantive positions, termed their “host” (or thick) ideology, which often consists of nativism on the right (e.g., espousing anti-immigrant positions) and socialism on the left (e.g., prioritizing redistribution). An emerging literature has thus sought to estimate whether populists garner support due to their thin ideology or their substantive host ideology. To date, no research has validated whether populism treatments (1) truly operationalize populist thin ideology, and (2) do so without manipulating host ideology. Results from three conjoint validation experiments fielded in both the United States and the United Kingdom show that thin ideology treatments successfully manipulate the underlying concepts but caution that some operationalizations also affect perceptions of host ideology. Shows that thin populism treatments shift perceptions of people-centrism and anti-elitism as expected Shows that thin populism treatments can also affect perceptions of host ideology. In particular, using treatments such as "American people" affects perceptions of a candidate's position on immigration Shows suggestive evidence that people are less likely to use populist thin ideology appeals as heuristics for inferring host ideology when partisan information is included
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by Brendan Nyhan — Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Jon Green, Efrén O. Pérez , and 1 more

brendannyhan.bsky.social
New JEPS: Debunking NIMBY Myths Increases Support for Affordable Housing, Especially Near Respondents' Homes www.cambridge.org/core/service...

-correcting stereotypes/misperceptions re: affordable housing increases support for building it
-Effects often *larger* for housing near people's homes
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford

carlislerainey.bsky.social
𝘈 𝘖𝘯𝘦-𝘗𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 Statistical Power

www.carlislerainey.com/blog/2025-08...
A One-Page Primer on: Statistical Power – Carlisle Rainey
Statistical power is the chance to reject the null when it’s false. Why it matters, how to compute it, and why both researchers and readers should care. This is a one-page primer with rules of thumb a...
www.carlislerainey.com
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Efrén O. Pérez, Mirya R. Holman

amengel.bsky.social
I expect this to be an important book. Congrats, @tanikar.bsky.social.

academic.oup.com/book/60875
The Social Roots of Asian American Partisanship: From Political Learning to Partisan Leanings
Abstract. The Social Roots of Asian American Partisanship explains one of the most transformative but puzzling trends in contemporary American politics: st
academic.oup.com
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford

poqjournal.bsky.social
As the U.S. celebrates Labor Day, what do voters think about the working poor?

In POQ, Benjamin Newman shows that most blame structural problems for poverty among workers – but that race and personal experience shape views too.

Read now: doi.org/10.1093/poq/...
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford

cambup-polsci.cambridge.org
#OpenAccess from @jepsjournal.bsky.social -

Do Immigrants’ Partisan Preferences Influence Americans’ Support for Immigration? - cup.org/4p2Xskp

- @danielmcdowell.bsky.social & David A. Steinberg

#FirstView
Logo of the Journal of Experimental Political Science (JEPS) featuring the acronym "JEPS" in large, white letters on a dark blue background, with the hashtag "#OpenAccess" in small letters.
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by Ethan Porter — Reposted by: Scott Clifford

ethanvporter.bsky.social
Some people find politics interesting. Others do not. In a new paper, I show that appealing to MEANING increases political interest. In 6 experiments, connecting what people find meaningful in their lives to politics increases political interest. Link: osf.io/preprints/so...
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford

polbehavior.bsky.social
Peterson & Jeong find that local media strengthens issue accountability. By reducing uncertainty about legislators’ policy positions, news makes voters more likely to evaluate politicians on issues, not just party lines. #MediaAndPolitics
Read more:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Making Issues Matter: Local Media and Policy-Based Evaluations of Politicians - Political Behavior
Does the media enhance issue accountability? Many argue it does by covering where politicians stand on policy. However, evidence of this process is limited and fails to address two alternatives. First...
link.springer.com
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Elizabeth Stokoe, Justin H. Kirkland , and 6 more

adigitaltanay.bsky.social
On Prolific, "we estimate that about 34% of online study participants use LLMs to answer open-ended questions atleast some of the time..."

Seems like a very timely paper for behavioural scientists using online samples: osf.io/preprints/so... ;

We really need more papers on this issue
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Ariel White

experimentsapsa.bsky.social
There's a new issue of the section newsletter out! This one's on sample considerations in experiments: professional survey-takers, LLM usage, rural contexts, and more!

connect.apsanet.org/s42/newslett...
screenshot of the top of the first page of the fall 2025 experiments section newsletter
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by Brendan Nyhan — Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Lisa W. Fazio, David Lazer , and 22 more

brendannyhan.bsky.social
New job ad: Assistant Professor of Quantitative Social Science, Dartmouth College apply.interfolio.com/172357

Please share with your networks. I am the search chair and happy to answer questions!
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford

amengel.bsky.social
Anyone have favorite options for printing SEM output in R like semTable that work for v4.5.1? My Googling has turned up little.
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Brendan Nyhan, Efrén O. Pérez , and 1 more

chrispps.bsky.social
new in early view at Political Psychology -->
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Mark J. Brandt, Chris Hanretty

marvins.bsky.social
New publication, out in Political Analysis:

There is an increasing array of tools to measure facets of morality in political language. But while they ostensibly measure the same concept, do they actually?

I and @fhopp.bsky.social set out to see what happens.
Moral Foundation Measurements Fail to Converge on Multilingual Party Manifestos | Political Analysis | Cambridge Core
Moral Foundation Measurements Fail to Converge on Multilingual Party Manifestos
www.cambridge.org
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by Scott Clifford — Reposted by: Efrén O. Pérez, Mirya R. Holman

scottclifford.bsky.social
Also, you don't need to live in Texas to attend! You just need to be willing to travel here!
scottclifford.bsky.social
Scott Clifford @scottclifford.bsky.social · Aug 14
TAMU will be hosting the Texas American Behavior Conference on Nov. 7-8 this year. Apply by Aug. 31 using the link below. Let me know if you have any questions!
tamu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.
tamu.qualtrics.com
5 8

Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Justin H. Kirkland, Chris Hanretty , and 1 more

carlislerainey.bsky.social
New Post: "For Your Syllabus: Statistical Power"

Add content on statistical power to your social science courses.

Not just to methods courses.

For substantive courses, Bloom's MDE (i.e., 80% power to detect 2.5*SE) is easy to teach and really helpful!

www.carlislerainey.com/blog/2025-08...
For Your Syllabus: Statistical Power – Carlisle Rainey
Five papers you can assign when teaching about statistical power: power analysis, minimum detectable effects, sample size planning, and design diagnosis.
www.carlislerainey.com
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by Scott Clifford — Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Justin H. Kirkland

scottclifford.bsky.social
TAMU will be hosting the Texas American Behavior Conference on Nov. 7-8 this year. Apply by Aug. 31 using the link below. Let me know if you have any questions!
tamu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.
tamu.qualtrics.com
4 5

by Scott Clifford

scottclifford.bsky.social
Another well-deserved award for Lucia! She's doing fantastic work and is on the market this fall!
houstonpolsci.bsky.social
Houston Political Science @houstonpolsci.bsky.social · Aug 11
Congratulations to @llopez.bsky.social on being named a 2025–2026 @epovb.bsky.social Early-Career Fellow!

This fellowship recognizes outstanding scholarship and potential in the field of Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior.
3

Reposted by: Scott Clifford

amandaweiss.bsky.social
🚨 Updated working paper!

Ekin Dursun and I ask what instruments best manipulate emotions on surveys (osf.io/56h4g).

We find that vignettes really work! They have large effects on emotions of interest & smaller effects on emotions *not* of interest.

But as always, it's complicated.👇

(1/17)
Abstract of a paper written by Amanda Weiss and Ekin Dursun and titled "Robust Emotion Manipulation for Surveys: Evidence from Three Experiments." The abstract reads: "A large number of experiments investigate the effects of emotions on critical political outcomes, including policy attitudes, support for authoritarians, tolerance, and political participation. The success of these experiments depends on emotion manipulations: Manipulations must be strong enough to shift one target emotion while also being specific enough shift other confounders only minimally. In this project, we identify emotion manipulations that fulfill these imperatives. First, using causal graphs, we show that in such experiments, emotions are intermediate outcomes of randomly assigned emotion manipulation instruments—not randomized treatments themselves. Then, we present evidence from three experiments (total N = 6, 649) on the effectiveness of vignettes, autobiographical emotional memory tasks, images, and more for inducing anger, gratitude, fear, political anger, political gratitude, and political cynicism. We show that vignettes are reliable instruments in terms of both strength and specificity. We also investigate compliance with emotion manipulation instruments and find that pre-treatment attitudes toward research may moderate treatment effects.
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford

houstonpolsci.bsky.social
Congratulations to @llopez.bsky.social on being named a 2025–2026 @epovb.bsky.social Early-Career Fellow!

This fellowship recognizes outstanding scholarship and potential in the field of Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior.
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Victor Asal

bjpols.bsky.social
NEW -

Field Experiments Invoking Gloating Villains to Increase Voter Participation: Anger, Anticipated Emotions, and Voting Turnout - cup.org/45KpoSo

- Gregory A. Huber, Alan S. Gerber, Albert H. Fang & John J. Cho

#OpenAccess
BJPolS abstract from a research paper discussing experiments conducted in Mississippi and Florida on how emotions can impact political behaviors such as voting.
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Justin H. Kirkland, Efrén O. Pérez

elizabethcconnors.bsky.social
Can embarrassment of one's party dampen partisanship and polarization? One would think.

In a forthcoming paper at @poqjournal.bsky.social, Taylor Carlson, @stevenwwebster.bsky.social, and I examine what we call "partisan embarrassment," including looking at the ramifications of these feelings...
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, Mark J. Brandt

versteegenluca.bsky.social
🚨Pre-print alert🚨

Research shows citizens in many Western democracies are increasingly affectively polarized––they feel warm toward their own party but quite cold toward opposing parties.

But how does it feel to “feel warmly”?
@katharinalawall.bsky.social, @mtsakiris.bsky.social & I asked.
🧵1/8
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by John Kane — Reposted by: Scott Clifford

uptonorwell.bsky.social
Inflation was a big issue--maybe even *the* issue--in 2024.

But do citizens understand how to interpret inflation rates?

Using some new data from @verasight.bsky.social, the answer seems to be largely: no.

On top of that, Republicans show significantly less understanding than Democrats.
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Reposted by: Scott Clifford, John Kane

amengel.bsky.social
New open-access pub in @jepsjournal.bsky.social with two great SBU grad students, @nicolehufman.bsky.social and Veronica Oelerich.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
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References

Fields & subjects

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