Testing the wisdom of the crowds argument: local opinion in the 43 ‘Red Wall’ constituencies that Labour lost

As a general election approaches, parties want to know not only how many seats they will win but also which ones. Some argue that the best source of such information is the voters in the individual seats because they are more aware of trends in local opinion; so ask enough of them and the ‘wisdom of the crowds’ will indicate the expected winner. Ron Johnston, Charles Pattie, and Todd Hartman test that argument using data for the ‘Red Wall’ constituencies that Labour lost to the Conservatives in 2019

Party canvassers don’t change people’s opinions, but they do persuade them to vote

Party volunteers up and down the country (and especially in marginal seats) are pounding the streets campaigning on their party’s behalf. But what sort of effect, if any, do they really have? Charles Pattie, Ron Johnston and Todd Hartman show that while doorstep campaigning is unlikely to change people’s political opinions, it is particularly effective at persuading a party’s existing supporters to turn out to vote – especially if they are Lib Dems

A party that backed deal with Europe could win support from both Leavers and Remainers

Richard P Bentall, Paul Willner and Todd K. Hartman present findings from a recent survey measuring Leave and Remain identities, which also tested for how acceptable participants found specific policies aimed at Britain’s future relationship with Europe. They write that the policy of remaining outside the EU but seeking closer alignment with it is not toxic for people who had identified as either Leavers or Remainers

New research shows freedom of movement is not toxic to Leavers, who are almost as positive about it as Remainers

There is a widespread assumption that freedom of movement with the EU is highly unpopular among people who identify as Leavers. Paul Willner, Todd Hartman, and Richard Bentall present data from a large (>2K) sample showing that this assumption is mistaken: freedom of movement is almost as acceptable to Leavers as it is to Remainers. This finding has implications for the positioning of political parties on freedom of movement and membership of the EU Single Market

Evaluation of a computerized, home-based PANE and guided reading therapy program and its influences on reading performance in an adult population

In this study the investigators set out to determine if increases in reading oculomotor efficiency could be obtained using a computerized, home-based training program in a non reading-disabled, adult population. Oculomotor efficiency improvement was determined to be an increase in reading with comprehension rate, and a decrease in number of fixations and regressions. The study population consisted of 94 subjects, most of which were optometry students. Fifty-three of the original 94 subjects were able to comply with the study protocol and produced qualifying data to be used in the statistical analysis. The investigators wished to determine whether the Reading plusTM program would be beneficial to those adults who exhibited inefficient reading eye movements, as well as those with average or above-average oculomotor skills. It was also hypothesized that in a 10-week training program, those who trained four times per week (4X) would achieve greater levels of improvement compared to the subjects who trained two times per week (2X). This study demonstrated that reading eye movement efficiency could be improved in individuals regardless of their initial reading efficiency level. Both 2X and 4X showed marked improvement in the three measures of reading efficiency, with 4X producing a larger improvement effect compared to 2X

Anti-Hispanic prejudice drives opposition to immigration in the U.S.

Last June, the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill that would give legal status to 11 million undocumented migrants, but this bill has remained stalled in the House of Representatives, reflecting the anti-immigration sentiments of many Americans. New research from Todd K. Hartman, Benjamin J. Newman, and C. Scott Bell investigates why so many are against immigration reform, and the role played by racial prejudice against Hispanics. Using surveys designed to detect anti-Hispanic prejudice, they find that white Americans react very differently to law-violating behaviors whether they are committed by Hispanic immigrants or not, suggesting a significant and persistent bias against them

Easing the Heavy Hand: Humanitarian Concern, Empathy, and Opinion on Immigration

The bulk of the public opinion research on immigration identi?es the factors leading to opposition to immigration. In contrast, we focus on a previously unexplored factor yielding support for immigration: humanitarianism. Relying upon secondary analysis of national public opinion survey data and an original survey experiment, we demonstrate that humanitarian concern signi?cantly decreases support for restrictive immigration policy. Results from our survey experiment demonstrate that in an information environment evoking both threat and countervailing humanitarian concern regarding immigration, the latter can and does override the former. Last, our results point to the importance of individual differences in empathy in moderating the effects of both threat and humanitarian inducements