New insights on political polarization from Professor Adam Berinsky, postdoc Chloe Wittenberg (PhD '23) and Professor Teppei Yamamoto
Media might deepen partisan divides, but we should measure reading habits more carefully before drawing conclusions--and avoid assuming that our own thought processes are the only rational ones.
Does political polarization cause citizens to seek out partisan news sources, or do partisan media push them toward more polarized views? A study coauthored by MIT political science professor Adam Berinsky, postdoc Chloe Wittenberg (PhD '23), and MIT political science professor Teppei Yamamoto, pictured at left, finds that the answer is complicated.
Gretchen Ertl and Wenyan Deng