Erika Franklin Fowler
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efranklinfowler.bsky.social
Erika Franklin Fowler
@efranklinfowler.bsky.social
6K followers 1.4K following 130 posts

Prof @ Wesleyan U; Co-Director of WesMediaProject (@wesmediaproject.bsky.social & mediaproject.wesleyan.edu); policomm, polisci, public opinion & health policy scholar; member of Collaborative on Media & Messaging for Health & Social Policy (commhsp.org) .. more

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Erika Franklin Fowler is an American political scientist. She is a Professor of Government at Wesleyan University, having previously served as a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy Research at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. .. more

Communication & Media Studies 40%
Political science 24%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Calvin K. Lai, Erika Franklin Fowler, Nathan P. Kalmoe

neillewisjr.bsky.social
Neil Lewis, Jr. @neillewisjr.bsky.social · 16d
1/4. The U.S. continues to be a place where people’s life experiences and outcomes differ dramatically by social positioning. How does that affect the way people make meaning of what is happening around them? Those questions guided this new paper. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Academic article: How People Make Meaning in a Fragmented Democracy: Implications for Incorporating Public Opinion into Public Policy

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler, Alan Richardson, Kate Starbird , and 1 more

helenbranswell.bsky.social
Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 17d
The destruction of the enterprise of US academic science has been one of the most confounding aspects of a hugely confounding year. My @statnews.com colleagues are writing about the consequences for individuals & the country.
You want to read this series.
www.statnews.com/american-sci...
American Science, Shattered
An eight-decade partnership between universities and the federal government made U.S. science preeminent. It took Trump less than a year to shred that
www.statnews.com

Reposted by Michael Barnett, Megan L. Ranney, John Mullahy , and 6 more

jacobwswallace.bsky.social
Jacob Wallace @jacobwswallace.bsky.social · 17d
🚨 Predoc Opportunity at Yale! 🚨

Care about research that changes policy?

My research team works within state government to advance evidence and learning for a smarter safety net!

And our predocs have excellent PhD placements. Apply here!

#EconSky #EconTwitter #Predoc #ResearchJobs #HealthPolicy
Economics of the Safety Net
tobin.yale.edu

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler, Amy Orben

ianhussey.mmmdata.io
Ian Hussey @ianhussey.mmmdata.io · 18d
Social media ~ mental health meta-analysis:

- Cited 7 times
- The 45 included studies appear not to exist
- The authors’ institution appears not to exist
- The journal editors won’t respond

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler

paulkelleher.net
Paul Kelleher @paulkelleher.net · 18d
“The National Wildlife Health Center in Madison is the only center in the country dedicated to preventing and detecting wildlife disease. Research at the facility, which has already lost about 30% of staff, includes bird flu, chronic wasting disease and more.”

www.jsonline.com/story/news/2...
Trump budget jeopardizes 3 U.S. science research centers in Wisconsin
The fate of the centers isn't sealed, since Congress ultimately has the power to assign funds. But until a decision is made, scientists are uneasy.
www.jsonline.com

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler

janzilinsky.bsky.social
Jan Zilinsky @janzilinsky.bsky.social · 18d
This excellent paper is now out -

Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Code: github.com/kobihackenbu...

A useful summary by @lpargyle.bsky.social: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Reposted by Paul Lehmann, Erika Franklin Fowler, Robert C. Richards , and 3 more

olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 18d
"Our analysis shows that in the aftermath of extreme weather events, lower-income neighbourhoods are less likely to rebuild and do not return to their pre-disaster state, whereas higher-income areas rebuild and tend to improve...highlighting increasing disparities in their built environments."

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders

efranklinfowler.bsky.social
Erika Franklin Fowler @efranklinfowler.bsky.social · 22d
Amazing opportunity ⬇️⬇️
bencollins.bsky.social Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 22d
Hey all,

The Onion is accepting applicants for our writing, video and graphics fellowships.

Fellowships last six months, pay well, and provide full benefits.

You can apply at theonion.com/fellowship.
Fellowship
theonion.com

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Caroline Krafft, Erika Franklin Fowler , and 5 more

bencollins.bsky.social
Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 22d
Hey all,

The Onion is accepting applicants for our writing, video and graphics fellowships.

Fellowships last six months, pay well, and provide full benefits.

You can apply at theonion.com/fellowship.
Fellowship
theonion.com

Reposted by Efrén O. Pérez, Erika Franklin Fowler, Melanie C. Green , and 4 more

stewartcoles.bsky.social
Chokely Carmichael🥋 @stewartcoles.bsky.social · 23d
🚨New pub alert!🚨 Now available open-access in @journal-of-comm.bsky.social, we (w/ @dkreiss.bsky.social, @danlane.bsky.social, & @shannimcg.bsky.social) critique political communication's "Identity Turn" and offer instead a foundation for studying #polcomm from a *group* perspective. 🧵
Abstract: Recent political communication scholarship finds that groups and identities play a central role in the crises faced by political and media systems globally, particularly in democracies. Yet an individualist orientation in the literature has resulted in key theoretical and conceptual limitations, preventing a broader group-centric theoretical framework from emerging. We synthesize disparate bodies of theory on groups, politics, and communication to offer three basic propositions underlying a group theory of political communication. First, it is the group—not the individual—that is the fundamental organizing unit of social and political life. Second, groups are constituted through communication, which is central to how they define their politics. Third, groups and politics are reciprocally influencing forces through political communication, oriented around power. We offer a framework for studying the role of groups in political communication at the micro, meso, and macro levels, providing a concrete agenda for the study of groups in political communication.

efranklinfowler.bsky.social
Erika Franklin Fowler @efranklinfowler.bsky.social · 23d
Important 🧵 ⬇️
jakescottmd.bsky.social Jake Scott, MD @jakescottmd.bsky.social · 23d
It's very concerning that the ACIP may vote to delay hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines for children, as reported by
@reuters.com

Here's why. 🧵
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler

jakescottmd.bsky.social
Jake Scott, MD @jakescottmd.bsky.social · 23d
It's very concerning that the ACIP may vote to delay hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines for children, as reported by
@reuters.com

Here's why. 🧵
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

Reposted by Sarah E. Gollust, Erika Franklin Fowler, Rita Hamad , and 1 more

jama.com
JAMA @jama.com · Nov 26
💬 Viewpoint: @kff.org polling indicates nearly three-quarters of US adults support congressional extension of #ACA premium tax credits, making health care affordability a decisive economic issue in upcoming elections and policy debates.

ja.ma/4oZfvaB
JAMA article, published Nov 25, 2025: "As the 2026 Election Takes Shape, Health Care Is Becoming an Economic Issue for US Voters." Poll results show worry levels about affording healthcare, rent, utilities, food, gas, & insurance.

Reposted by Hugo Mercier, Scott Clifford, Erika Franklin Fowler , and 2 more

yamilrvelez.bsky.social
Yamil Ricardo Velez @yamilrvelez.bsky.social · Nov 24
As @seanjwestwood.bsky.social's terrifying new PNAS article demonstrates, LLMs can now pass almost every attention check, mirror personas, stay consistent across pages, and systematically bias responses in the aggregate.

So here’s a different angle: verify physical presence, not text.

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler

electionstudies.bsky.social
American National Election Studies @electionstudies.bsky.social · Nov 20
Thanks to all who have completed our user survey. But if you haven't, don't forget to take it. This feedback will inform our long-term planning. We really would like to hear from you!

bit.ly/43vgW8b
picture of a hand with pen writing ANES User Survey: https://bit.ly/43vgW8b

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler, David R. Miller, David Darmofal

rachelporter.bsky.social
Rachel Porter @rachelporter.bsky.social · Nov 17
"The Consequences of Elite Action Against Elections" is now in print at BJPS (@bjpols.bsky.social)

doi.org/10.1017/S000....

Reposted by Carl Henrik Knutsen, Chris Hanretty, Erika Franklin Fowler

tonirodon.bsky.social
Toni Rodon @tonirodon.bsky.social · Nov 17
People value free and fair elections, and prefer living in a country with free and fair elections but with less desirable outcomes (e.g. low levels of wealth) to living in a country without free and fair elections but with better outcomes journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00104140251392539
Are People Willing to Trade Away Democracy for Desirable Outcomes? Experimental Evidence From Six Countries - Jonathan A. Chu, Scott Williamson, Eddy S. F. Yeung, 2025
To what extent do people prioritize living in a democracy over other indicators of good governance or personal well-being? This question has become contested as...
journals.sagepub.com

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler, Robert C. Richards, Michael S. Roth

simsjames.bsky.social
James Sims @simsjames.bsky.social · Nov 15
At Wesleyan University’s “Dialogue for Change: From Conflict to Action” seminar Anna Deavere Smith and @msroth.bsky.social explored how remembering the past and embracing critique sustain democracy and education. “We can’t go forward unless we remember, unless we confront these ghosts.” #HigherEd

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler

electionstudies.bsky.social
American National Election Studies @electionstudies.bsky.social · Nov 14
The American National Election Studies wants to hear from you. Take a short survey that will inform our future planning.

bit.ly/43vgW8b
The American National Election Studies logo.

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler

commhsp.bsky.social
Collaborative on Media & Messaging for Health and Social Policy @commhsp.bsky.social · Nov 13
In our latest @milbankfund.bsky.social Quarterly Opinion, "Public Concern about Threats to Public Health and Science Remains Modest," COMM members @rebekahnagler.bsky.social, @efranklinfowler.bsky.social, and @sarahgollust.bsky.social reveal key findings from a new national follow-up survey.

Reposted by Sarah E. Gollust, Erika Franklin Fowler

milbankfund.bsky.social
Milbank Memorial Fund & The Milbank Quarterly @milbankfund.bsky.social · Nov 13
US adults’ awareness of actions threatening public health and science declined between March and September 2025, according to a new survey from @commhsp.bsky.social.
Public Concern about Threats to Public Health and Science Remains Modest  | Milbank Memorial Fund
In March 2025, our team conducted a public opinion survey to document the extent to which the U.S. public was aware of the rapidly emerging threats to
www.milbank.org

efranklinfowler.bsky.social
Erika Franklin Fowler @efranklinfowler.bsky.social · Nov 7
Thread 🧵 relevant to #wesgov372 #wesgov366 and #wesqac380
pettertornberg.com Petter Törnberg @pettertornberg.com · Nov 7
LLMs are now widely used in social science as stand-ins for humans—assuming they can produce realistic, human-like text

But... can they? We don’t actually know.

In our new study, we develop a Computational Turing Test.

And our findings are striking:
LLMs may be far less human-like than we think.🧵
Computational Turing Test Reveals Systematic Differences Between Human and AI Language
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in the social sciences to simulate human behavior, based on the assumption that they can generate realistic, human-like text. Yet this assumption rem...
arxiv.org

Reposted by Brady T. West, Brendan Nyhan, Jacob Montgomery , and 6 more

pettertornberg.com
Petter Törnberg @pettertornberg.com · Nov 7
LLMs are now widely used in social science as stand-ins for humans—assuming they can produce realistic, human-like text

But... can they? We don’t actually know.

In our new study, we develop a Computational Turing Test.

And our findings are striking:
LLMs may be far less human-like than we think.🧵
Computational Turing Test Reveals Systematic Differences Between Human and AI Language
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in the social sciences to simulate human behavior, based on the assumption that they can generate realistic, human-like text. Yet this assumption rem...
arxiv.org

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler

jenvictor.bsky.social
Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · Nov 5
Record-breaking turnout at the campus voting precinct today. the energy was unreal, all day.
line graph showing turnout 2019 - 2025. In 2025 it's 34.39%, the highest on the graph.

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler

oii.ox.ac.uk
Oxford Internet Institute @oii.ox.ac.uk · Nov 4
We’re hiring! @oii.ox.ac.uk, The Centre for Advanced Social Science Methods and @politicsoxford.bsky.social are seeking to appoint an Associate Professor of Politics, Technology and Computational Social Sciences. Post in association with @reubencollege.bsky.social. 1/2

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Linda J. Skitka, John Kane , and 17 more

nickvalentino.bsky.social
Nick Valentino @nickvalentino.bsky.social · Nov 1
ANES Data Release! electionstudies.org/data-center/...

The 3-wave ANES panel is now available. It merges data from 3 election studies (2016-2020-2024), the first time the ANES has collected interviews of the same respondents across 3 presidential elections.
2016-2020-2024-panel-merged-study - ANES | American National Election Studies
electionstudies.org

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler, Jill A. Jacobson

andrew.heiss.phd
Andrew Heiss @andrew.heiss.phd · Oct 30
Newest LLM tell/quirk in coding assignments this semester: instead of generating code based on the CSVs that I provide, LLMs have been inventing datasets with rnorm() and sample() (and an obligatory set.seed(42)) and then making plots with the fake data.

I'm so tired.

efranklinfowler.bsky.social
Erika Franklin Fowler @efranklinfowler.bsky.social · Oct 28
Relevant for our #wesgov372 discussions this week!
sarahscire.com Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · Oct 28
“There is a set of populous countries, generally where traditional media are under pressure and social media use is high, where news creators are having a significant impact"

@hanaatameez.bsky.social wrote up a fascinating @reutersinstitute.bsky.social report www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/news...
These countries include US Brazil South Africa India Nigeria Kenya Thailand and Indonesia.

Reposted by Will Jennings, Richard Fletcher, Erika Franklin Fowler

sarahscire.com
Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · Oct 28
“There is a set of populous countries, generally where traditional media are under pressure and social media use is high, where news creators are having a significant impact"

@hanaatameez.bsky.social wrote up a fascinating @reutersinstitute.bsky.social report www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/news...
These countries include US Brazil South Africa India Nigeria Kenya Thailand and Indonesia.

Reposted by Erika Franklin Fowler, Mirya R. Holman, David R. Miller

rachelporter.bsky.social
Rachel Porter @rachelporter.bsky.social · Oct 27
I haven't spent a ton of time working through this, but it draws heavily on national party insights to make recommendations for Dem candidates... who are already doing these things?

Over three-quarters of Ds discuss economics, healthcare etc....

campaignview.org
www.nature.com/articles/s41...