The Junck Colloquium with Emily Thorson will occur on Wednesday, March 8, in the Halls of Fame room from 12:30-1:45 p.m. *The location and time have been changed from what was previously listed.*
Thorson — a professor from the Boston College Political Science Department — will deliver her keynote: "The Invented State: Widespread Policy Misperceptions in the American Public"
"The Invented State: Widespread Policy Misperceptions in the American Public"
Misperceptions can shape attitudes and behavior, creating serious problems for democratic accountability. However, while substantial research has examined Americans' misperceptions about partisan political issues, we know little about what people get wrong about public policy. This paper presents the results of two studies attempting to identify, measure, and correct policy misperceptions. In the first, interviews with American citizens from across the political spectrum reveal a wide range of misperceptions about how government works. In the second, a representative survey with an embedded experiment assesses the breadth of twelve of these misperceptions, as well as the extent to which they can be minimized through corrections. The results suggest that a single correction can substantially reduce policy misperceptions, even among partisans and those who are confident in their false beliefs
The Mary Junck Research Colloquium series was formally established in 2007 to nurture an intellectually vibrant climate with both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary shades, by scheduling scholarly presentations on diverse topics.
The speakers represent various disciplines and units on campus as well as other universities and organizations in the Triangle. The series has been particularly successful in attracting scholars and researchers of national and international renown from within the U.S. and abroad. The series attracts a diverse audience comprising faculty, graduate students and researchers from around the Triangle.
2016-17 Junck Colloquium Series:
For more information, please contact Kriste Patrow at patrowk@live.unc.edu.