Michelangelo Landgrave

How can the police avoid earning our distrust? Exploring the associations of police distrust among African Americans

Avery Lord — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:46:24 +0000

How can the police avoid earning our distrust? Exploring the associations of police distrust among African Americans Avery Lord Tue, 06/16/2026 - 14:46

How can the police avoid earning our distrust? Exploring the associations of police distrust among African Americans

By: Mark Benton, Michelangelo Landgrave

Abstract:

The American public distrust in the police is at a historic high. Distrust impairs the ability of the police to meet their objectives. It is therefore important to better understand how the police can avoid earning distrust. Using data from the 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey (CMPS), we explore the associations of police distrust among African Americans. Americans as a group are overpoliced, but we focus on African Americans because of their especially high levels of interaction with the police bureaucracy and the damage police racial inequity has to their citizenship. If the police can avoid earning distrust with African Americans, police could avoid earning distrust with Americans broadly. We find that recent, frequent, discriminatory, and low-quality stops are associated with increased police distrust. This suggests that police can minimize earning distrust by avoiding unnecessary stops and, when stops cannot be avoided, by focusing on quality, nondiscriminatory interactions.

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Do State Legislative Staffer Networks Influence Roll-call Voting? Evidence from Shared Personal Staffers in Arizona, Indiana, and New Mexico

Avery Lord — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:44:59 +0000

Do State Legislative Staffer Networks Influence Roll-call Voting? Evidence from Shared Personal Staffers in Arizona, Indiana, and New Mexico Avery Lord Tue, 06/16/2026 - 14:44

Do State Legislative Staffer Networks Influence Roll-call Voting? Evidence from Shared Personal Staffers in Arizona, Indiana, and New Mexico

By: Michelangelo Landgrave

Abstract:

Legislative staffers are an invisible force in legislative bodies that provide every imaginable service. It is doubtful that modern legislatures could operate without them. Prior studies of Congressional staffers have found evidence that staffers not only aid but also exert an independent influence on the policy-making process through network effects. In this article, I test if this extends to state legislative staffers using novel data from shared staffer networks in Arizona, Indiana, and New Mexico. I argue that, compared to their Congressional counterparts, state legislative staffers are more akin to ‘clerks’ than ‘political professionals’ and this limits their ability to independently influence policymaking at the state level.

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A nation of immigrants? The case for a politically influential and intersectional immigrant identity in the United States

Avery Lord — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:43:06 +0000

A nation of immigrants? The case for a politically influential and intersectional immigrant identity in the United States Avery Lord Tue, 06/16/2026 - 14:43

A nation of immigrants? The case for a politically influential and intersectional immigrant identity in the United States

By: Stephanie Chan, Michelangelo Landgrave

Abstract:

Do Americans identify as immigrants and, if so, what are the political implications? We argue that many Americans hold an immigrant identity, and that the strength of immigrant identity varies by race and immigrant generation. We find that an immigrant identity exists, that it is associated with several political outcomes, and that it is distinct from racial identity and a country-of-origin identity. We used the 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Study to provide an in-depth, cross-racial, and cross-generation analysis of immigrant identity in the United States. We hope this initial work creates more space for work on the political consequences of the United States’ complex identity as a nation of immigrants.

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Immigration is difficult?! Informing voters about immigration policy fosters pro-immigration views

Avery Lord — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:41:35 +0000

Immigration is difficult?! Informing voters about immigration policy fosters pro-immigration views Avery Lord Tue, 06/16/2026 - 14:41

Immigration is difficult?! Informing voters about immigration policy fosters pro-immigration views

By: Alexander Kustov, Michelangelo Landgrave

Abstract:

The US public is mostly ignorant about basic immigration knowledge. While various attempts to correct misperceptions have generally failed to change people minds about the issue, it is possible that this failure has been the result of not providing relevant information. We argue that informing the public about the difficulty of the legal immigration admission process is an effective, perspective-changing way to raise support for more open immigration policies. We test and confirm this hypothesis using a nationally representative US survey experiment (N = 1000) that informs respondents about US immigration administrative burdens and restrictions through short verifiable narratives. We also provide the first evidence of the widespread ignorance about the immigration process across diverse political and demographic groups. Our results suggest that providing a better understanding of the immigration process’ difficulty has more promise to change public policy preferences than challenging skeptics’ crystallized beliefs about immigration effects or numbers.

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How Are Minority Staffers Utilized? Evidence from the California State Assembly

Avery Lord — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:39:52 +0000

How Are Minority Staffers Utilized? Evidence from the California State Assembly Avery Lord Tue, 06/16/2026 - 14:39

How Are Minority Staffers Utilized? Evidence from the California State Assembly

By: Michelangelo Landgrave

Abstract:

Legislative staffers are among legislators’ most valuable assets and their appointment by legislators is strategic. Past research has focused on how legislative staffer appointments help legislators meet policy or constituency service goals. In this article I advance the literature by theorizing how minority staffers are utilized. I hypothesize, and show using novel data from the California State Assembly, that state legislators disproportionally place Hispanic and Asian American Pacific Islander staffers in constituency service positions. This may be done as an effort to provide a form of surrogate descriptive representation. Concerningly, because minority staffers are more likely to be placed in constituency service positions, minority staffers are less likely to be placed in policy orientated positions where they might have the most influence over substantive policymaking. This leads to a situation where minority staffers are placed in visible constituency service appointments but continue to be underrepresented in key policy appointments.

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Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023: Demographics of Incarcerated Immigrants

Avery Lord — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:38:34 +0000

Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023: Demographics of Incarcerated Immigrants Avery Lord Tue, 06/16/2026 - 14:38

Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023: Demographics of Incarcerated Immigrants

By: Michelangelo Landgrave, Alex Nowrasteh

Abstract:

People crossing into America unlawfully at the southwest border is one of the top public policy issues that Americans want resolved, and their concerns about it helped re-elect President Donald J. Trump. Related to immigration is the perception that immigrants, especially illegal immigrants, are criminally inclined and increase American crime rates.

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Why Does Corrective Information Have a Muted Effect on Immigration Attitudes? Motivated Reasoning and Shifting Goalposts

Avery Lord — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:36:31 +0000

Why Does Corrective Information Have a Muted Effect on Immigration Attitudes? Motivated Reasoning and Shifting Goalposts Avery Lord Tue, 06/16/2026 - 14:36

Why Does Corrective Information Have a Muted Effect on Immigration Attitudes? Motivated Reasoning and Shifting Goalposts

By: Aime Rovelo, Aryanna Hyde, Michelangelo Landgrave

Abstract:

Several studies have attempted to test whether corrective information may counter the negative attitudes formed due to negative media portrayals of immigrants and immigration. In this manuscript, we report an original information-provision survey experiment where we provide corrective information about Mexican-immigrant welfare use to US research subjects. Consistent with prior studies, we find a muted effect on immigration attitudes. We advance the literature by presenting suggestive evidence that research subjects engage in motivated reasoning to reconcile new information with their a priori immigration attitudes. This suggests that, when provided corrective information about immigrants that is incongruent with their preexisting misperceptions, individuals will shift their beliefs about acceptable immigrant characteristics. By moving the goalposts, these individuals can avoid having to update their a priori attitudes. This suggests that corrective-information experiments have a mostly muted effect on immigration attitudes because research subjects reinterpret new information to justify existing attitudes.

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Do congressional candidates benefit from rejecting PAC contributions? Evidence from a pre-registered candidate evaluation survey experiment

Avery Lord — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:32:49 +0000

Do congressional candidates benefit from rejecting PAC contributions? Evidence from a pre-registered candidate evaluation survey experiment Avery Lord Tue, 06/16/2026 - 14:32

Do congressional candidates benefit from rejecting PAC contributions? Evidence from a pre-registered candidate evaluation survey experiment

By: Michelangelo Landgrave, Nicholas R Jenkins, Aubree J Hardesty

Abstract:

Do congressional candidates benefit electorally from the public disdain of political action committees (PACs)? Despite the large sums of money given by PACs, an increasing number of candidates have sworn off corporate PAC money. In this research note, we investigate whether the decision to accept or reject PAC contributions in general affects voters’ evaluation of candidates and their willingness to vote for them. To test these questions, we use a pre-registered candidate evaluation survey experiment that was fielded as part of the 2020 Cooperative Congressional Election Study. We find that voters are more likely to vote for, donate to, and trust candidates that reject PAC contributions. Surprisingly, we fail to find evidence that this effect is moderated by party ID. The evidence indicates that Republican and Democratic voters alike penalize candidates that accept PAC money. This study is among the first to investigate how candidates’ campaign financing choices influence their perceptions among voters.

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What is the effect of political influencers on TikTok? Early results from a field experiment with young adults

Avery Lord — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:28:40 +0000

What is the effect of political influencers on TikTok? Early results from a field experiment with young adults Avery Lord Tue, 06/16/2026 - 14:28

What is the effect of political influencers on TikTok? Early results from a field experiment with young adults

By: Abdelaziz Alsharawy, Robert Anstett, Michelangelo Landgrave

Abstract:

Politicians from both major political parties in the United States have been raising concerns about the rise of TikTok, a popular social media platform founded by Chinese entrepreneurs, with some calling for stricter regulation or even banning the platform. One aspect of opposition to TikTok is its growth as a news source among young adults. This is concerning because TikTok relies on short videos that can spur strong emotional responses in young adults who are still undergoing substantial cognitive development. To test the effect of watching TikTok political influencers on young adults’ emotional response and political attitudes, we conducted a field experiment at a large American public university. Using survey data and video content analysis, we found that consuming political content on TikTok increased negative emotional affect but had seemingly no effect on political attitudes. We urge further studies to verify the negative effect of TikTok on emotional affect and to test potential mitigating interventions to reduce this adverse effect. While we strongly urge further study, we advise policymakers to place additional scrutiny on the effect of social media platforms like TikTok on emotional wellbeing.

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Juventud in revolt? Linked fate, political attitudes, and presidential candidate preferences of young Latinos in the 2024 election

Avery Lord — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:25:40 +0000

Juventud in revolt? Linked fate, political attitudes, and presidential candidate preferences of young Latinos in the 2024 election Avery Lord Tue, 06/16/2026 - 14:25

Juventud in revolt? Linked fate, political attitudes, and presidential candidate preferences of young Latinos in the 2024 election

By: Matt Lamb, Melissa N Baker, Michelangelo Landgrave

Abstract:

Latinos have moved politically right in the last few years in United States elections, with the percentage of Latinos supporting the Republican presidential candidate at an all‐time high in the 2024 elections. The purpose of this study is to better understand this shift, particularly as it relates to the social psychology of identity in Latinos. We argue that linked fate, the extent to which racial and ethnic minorities believe that their individual well‐being is conditioned upon society's views of their minority group, helps explain Latino political identification and vote choice. Using a survey, we find that higher levels of linked fate are related to lower support of Donald Trump. We also explore the implications of linked fate for political identification and the individual‐level factors that predict higher levels of linked fate.

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