Announcements

Professor Nyhan on the impact of AI-generated memes on the 2024 election

Professor Brendan Nyhan, a member of the Steering Committee of the Program in Quantitative Social Science (QSS) and the James O. Freedman Presidential Professor of Government at Dartmouth College, was recently quoted in an NPR article on how AI-generated memes are changing the 2024 election.

Nyhan explained, "One thing AI in particular is good at doing is taking ideas or claims being made in text and turning them into metaphorical representations." He views this as an AI-powered twist on traditional political memes, satire, and commentary: "It's chum for the folks who read a lot of political news online and tend to have slanted information diets."

In Winter 2025, Professor Nyhan will be teaching GOVT 10: Quantitative Political Analysis and GOVT 35: The Presidency .

Antisemitism Study: Education Doesn't Always Increase Tolerance

Professor Brendan Nyhan, a member of the Steering Committee of the Program in Quantitative Social Science (QSS) and Professor of Government at Dartmouth College, has co-authored a new study that reveals a complex relationship between education and antisemitism. The study was conducted with Shun Yamaya of Stanford University and Thomas Zeitzoff of American University.

Professor Nyhan's research challenges the common belief that more education automatically leads to greater tolerance. His new study found that, in some countries, educated individuals are more likely to hold antisemitic views, especially in places where political and social systems do not actively oppose antisemitism.  These findings are based on data from the Anti-Defamation League's ADL Global 100 survey, which collected responses from over 100 countries between 2013 and 2017. This survey is the largest of its kind and provides a comprehensive look at attitudes toward Jews and antisemitic stereotypes.

Professor Nyhan's new study also examines which countries supported a 2007 United Nations resolution condemning Holocaust denial and a 2015 UN statement condemning antisemitism. These actions served as indicators of a country's commitment to combating antisemitism.  In countries that supported these UN positions, higher education was linked to more favorable attitudes toward Jews. However, in countries that did not support these statements, educated individuals were more likely to endorse antisemitic stereotypes. This trend was most evident in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Known for his research on misinformation and conspiracy theories, Nyhan has expanded his focus globally with this study. Along with Professor Zeitzoff, he has previously published work on conspiracy beliefs in the Middle East and North Africa and historical misperceptions among Jewish Israelis.

Abstract:

We investigate the relationship between education and antisemitism using unique individual-level survey data on antisemitism from more than 100 countries. Our findings show that education is associated with greater favorability toward Jews, but the relationship between education and endorsement of antisemitic stereotypes and conspiracy theories varies between countries. In countries that actively supported recent statements condemning Holocaust denial and antisemitism at the United Nations—which we use as a proxy for country-level opposition to antisemitism in education and politics—greater education is associated with reduced endorsement of antisemitic stereotypes. By contrast, more educated people are more likely to endorse antisemitic stereotypes than less educated people in countries that declined to endorse those statements. These descriptive findings provide new evidence about the association between education and intolerance.

Professor Nyhan regularly teaches GOVT 83.21 Experiments in Politics (cross-listed with QSS 30.03), and he will teach this course next in Spring 2024.

QSS Major and Minor Honored at Graduation

The Program in Quantitative Social Science (QSS) congratulates the QSS graduates in the Class of 2024! 

Jackson Battey '23, a QSS minor who majored in economics, was recognized at graduation as a valedictorian. Jackson is from Ross, California.  To become a valedictorian, a student needs to maintain a perfect 4.0 grade point average throughout their time at Dartmouth. The valedictorians in the Class of 2024 represented over 20 majors spanning the arts and humanities, social sciences, interdisciplinary studies, and the natural sciences.  Jackson started at KKR in January this year as an Analyst.

Luca Caviezel '24, a QSS major who minored in French, was one of 133 members of the Class of 2024 who were inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.  Luca is from Switzerland. To be eligible for Phi Beta Kappa membership, a student graduating from Dartmouth College must have a grade point average at least as high as the top ten percent of graduates over the past three years.  Starting after graduation, Luca will be a business analyst at a private equity consulting firm called Gotham Consulting Partners.

QSS is proud of all of its graduates and wishes them the best of luck in their post-undergraduate lives. 

Evaluating a New Generation of Expansive Claims about Vote Manipulation

Michael Herron, the Remsen 1943 Professor of Quantitative Social Science and Chair of QSS, is the co-author of a recently published article, "Evaluating a New Generation of Expansive Claims about Vote Manipulation," in Election Law Journal. The other co-authors are Justin Grimmer of Stanford University and Matthew Tyler of Rice University).

In Fall 2024, Professor Herron will be teaching the QSS honors thesis seminar (QSS 81) as well as Sports Analytics (QSS 30.04).

The abstract of Professor Herron's new article is as follows:

Abstract:

In the wake of Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a cottage industry of conspiracy theorists has advanced ever more expansive claims of vote manipulation, going so far as to allege that all American elections are subject to manipulation—even in largely Republican states. In the extreme, these conspiracy theorists argue that candidates in U.S. elections are selected rather than elected. We evaluate two recent sets of claims about vote manipulation that allege algorithms are used to shift votes towards preferred candidates. Even though these claims are distinct, they fail for similar reasons. For example, both sets of claims assert that "unnaturally" accurate predictions of election results are evidence of vote manipulation, an allegation that is a result of predicting a variable with itself. Furthermore, both claims make easily refuted errors in logic and data analysis and in addition misrepresent historical election patterns. While recent claims about vote manipulation are prima facie outlandish, their effects on policy and the public are real. Refuting false claims about vote manipulation is essential to ensuring the continued functioning of U.S. elections and American democracy more generally.

Professor Nyhan in the Mirror

Professor Brendan Nyhan, a member of the Steering Committee of the Program in Quantitative Social Science (QSS) and James O. Freedman Presidential Professor of Government at Dartmouth College, recently was featured in Mirror. The article on Professor Nyhan, Methods and Misperceptions: Spotlight on GOVT 83.21, described a course he teaches. Professor Nyhan taught GOVT 83.21, cross-listed as QSS 30.03, in Spring 2024 term and will teach it again in Spring 2025.