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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 30 of 93
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Factors In Decision Making Of Political Candidates, Levi Ramirez Garcia
Factors In Decision Making Of Political Candidates, Levi Ramirez Garcia
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
What factors impact the decision to run as non-partisan over one of the major US parties? It is essential to analyze this phenomenon to determine the real motivations of candidates and the party they represent because they impact society as a whole. The candidates' ideologies and how the candidates feel representing the parties' ideologies are the main reasons for choosing non-partisan over one of the major US parties. This occurs because humans tend to work where they feel comfortable and in places with the same values and ideologies as them. It is the same in the case of candidates; they …
The Contemporary Causes Of Americans' Fear Of Illegal Immigration, Amilie Cai
The Contemporary Causes Of Americans' Fear Of Illegal Immigration, Amilie Cai
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Annually, the U.S. aspires to extend its liberality by opening its border to more than ten thousand refugees. In this paper, I examine how political party identification, census region, and internet usage influence U.S. adults' fear of illegal immigration. Relying on the 2023 Chapman Survey of American Fears, a representative national sample of U.S. adults, I find that political party has remained a consistent predictor for an American’s fear of illegal immigration, with people who align themselves with the Republican Party in 2022 being more afraid of illegal immigration compared to other political parties, such as the Democrat Party. In …
Navigating Islamophobia: Exploring Attitudes Towards Muslim Immigration And Policing, Devansh Mehta
Navigating Islamophobia: Exploring Attitudes Towards Muslim Immigration And Policing, Devansh Mehta
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, Islamophobic dispositions in the United States have surged within its political and societal arenas. In this paper, I will examine two specific dimensions of Islamophobia such as ceasing immigration from Muslim countries and increased police presence in Muslim neighborhoods and how those behaviors may be influenced by political affiliation and different ways news is consumed using social media and cable news. Relying on the Chapman Survey of American Fears, a representative national sample of U.S. adults completed a forty-question survey in which I tested the above independent variables to see their individual effects on …
Fear Of Immigrants And Immigration In American Society, Sabrina Laib
Fear Of Immigrants And Immigration In American Society, Sabrina Laib
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Immigrants, regardless of status, are portrayed as a threat to American society through the media. This paper will investigate Americans and their fear of non White immigrants and naturalized citizens through the theories of immigration threat, social identity theory, group cue, and the so-called freeloader problem. Due to the rise of xenophobic rhetoric being parroted by American politicians such as the Muslim ban enacted during the time of former President Trump’s presidency, the U.S. border control’s violence towards central American refugees, as well as undocumented laborers that Florida’s Governor DeSantis did not want working in his state anymore, leading to …
The Pride Pipeline: Violent Nationalism In The United States, Emily Veloz
The Pride Pipeline: Violent Nationalism In The United States, Emily Veloz
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
A striking rise in American Nationalism has emerged due to varying factors; however, a particular selection of identities have acted as primary contributors to this phenomenon. This piece navigates the increasing application of violence in the political arena in tandem with the impacts of racial, socioeconomic, and social factors that have fueled this collective aggression. Previous research points toward the hyperpolarization that has been perpetuated by political figures and media outlets, the augmentation of a psychological us-vs.-them mentality, and the perceived threat to American hegemony across the globe. Through an analysis of data provided by the 9th edition of the …
The Professionalization Of The Supreme Court, Ruben Lopez-Apodaca
The Professionalization Of The Supreme Court, Ruben Lopez-Apodaca
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
The professional and personal backgrounds of Supreme Court Justices are becoming increasingly similar. Nearly all sitting justices hold degrees from an Ivy league law school and have experience as federal circuit judges. In earlier periods this was not the case. The Stone Court of the 1940’s had six Ivy League alumni and one judge with federal circuit experience. This begs the question, when and why did this shift take place? This study will provide an overview of the occupational and educational backgrounds of every justice from 1910 to the present, in addition to Supreme Court nominees of the same period …
America’S Fear Of Civil Unrest Through The Lens Of 2020 Blm Protests And January 6th, Morgan Romine
America’S Fear Of Civil Unrest Through The Lens Of 2020 Blm Protests And January 6th, Morgan Romine
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Over the past five years, the United States of America (US) has experienced events which highlight societal weakness and faults in the foundations of the US system. This research paper focuses on the level of fear a participant has of civil unrest in the US, how that fear has evolved following the events of 2020, including the January 6th Insurrection and 2020’s summer of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests. Factoring the age, political affiliation, and socio-economic status of the study’s participants into the findings, is a way to understand where the participant’s fear may be stemming from. My research uses …
Information Inflation: How Social Media News Consumption Contributes To Societal And Political Fears, Owen Cotton
Information Inflation: How Social Media News Consumption Contributes To Societal And Political Fears, Owen Cotton
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
By permitting each American to be exposed to countless amounts of information through social media, platforms have become even more influential for public perception. Since the establishment of social media platforms the United States has certainly seen an increase in political and social disputes, particularly during the last couple presidencies. In this paper I will examine what is the link between growing concerns of public unrest and social media, and to what extent the next generations of Americans are affected. With a partial focus on feelings resulting from the January 6th riots in 2021, I will examine to what extent …
The Effects Of Media Usage On Climate Change Beliefs, Leia Hernandez
The Effects Of Media Usage On Climate Change Beliefs, Leia Hernandez
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
The subject of climate change has been a controversial debate for the past decade on whether it is real or just a myth. In this paper, the research that is found from various surveys will examine the correlation between fear of climate change and types of media usage. The correlation between fear of climate change and a person’s media usage will also demonstrate how media usage affects and shapes public opinion. The data associated with the fear of climate change was collected through the Chapman University American Fear Survey (CSAF). The survey sample was conducted on 1035 participants which is …
Conspiracy Beliefs: A Threat To Political Stability, Robert Arellano
Conspiracy Beliefs: A Threat To Political Stability, Robert Arellano
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
The United States may be the most powerful nation on Earth, yet its people still have endured both hardships and tragedies. Events such as the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the terrorist attacks on September 11th, the AIDS crisis, and the bombings of Pearl Harbor are all tragic events that have influenced American cultural fears. But the trauma and painful memories of tragic events have led some Americans to question any form of authority, even without evidence. In this paper, I examine the extent to which distrust in authority, fear, and overall pessimism lead to conspiratorial thinking. …
Climate Change Skepticism: Who And Why?, Mia Huyen Truong
Climate Change Skepticism: Who And Why?, Mia Huyen Truong
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Despite persistent scientific consensus urging immediate action, political polarization, and skepticism have hindered effective climate change mitigation, especially in the United States. This paper explores the factors influencing climate change attitudes among different groups, focusing on right-wing affiliates and Christian believers. Drawing on the Anti-Reflexivity Thesis (McCright and Dunlap, 2001-2010) and Information Processing Theory (Wood & Vedlitz, 2007), we investigate the effects of individual characteristics, including partisan ideology, party identification, educational attainment, and Christian faith. Using Wave 7 (2021) of the Chapman Survey of American Fears Survey, a nationwide sample of different fears among U.S. adults, this study aims to …
The Levels And Discrepancies Of America’S Fear Of Terrorism, Kate Lindfors
The Levels And Discrepancies Of America’S Fear Of Terrorism, Kate Lindfors
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Within the United States, individuals do not appear to possess an accurate understanding of terrorism and the threat it may pose to Americans. This not only creates inaccurate perceptions of the actual risk levels associated with terrorism in the U.S. but a misunderstanding of the potential sources of terrorist threats and the impact they could have on the country. In this paper, I will examine this misunderstanding of contemporary terrorism, particularly in relation to America’s inflated sense of fear and general misplacement of the threat. In order to examine this topic, I have used the Chapman University Survey on American …
The Influence Of Religion On Immigration Public Opinion, Olga Alvertos
The Influence Of Religion On Immigration Public Opinion, Olga Alvertos
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
This study explores the ways in which the religious beliefs of individuals influence their opinion on immigration and immigration related policy. While seemingly separate topics, the two are interwoven through variables such as party affiliation, education level, and age. Previous studies show a clear correlation between frequent attendance of religious services and positive views on immigration and related policies. This topic has yet to be explored in depth and with reference to frequency of religious attendance. Using ANES data, my goal with this research is to determine if a strong attachment to religion affects public opinion of immigration policy and …
Public Opinion On Illegal Immigration In The United States: Understanding The Xenophobic Sentiments Towards Illegal Immigrants, Alexandra Martinez
Public Opinion On Illegal Immigration In The United States: Understanding The Xenophobic Sentiments Towards Illegal Immigrants, Alexandra Martinez
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Over the past 10 years, the topic of illegal immigration has divided Americans with the past three presidencies. This paper investigates the relationship between party ID,media exposure, education and religion with the views a person has on illegal immigration. Using the Chapman Survey of American Fears, I found a moderately strong relationship between an individual's party-identification and how much fear
they show towards the topic of illegal immigration throughout the United States. I found that media exposure and a person’s political identification correlates with their views on illegal immigration. Among the interesting findings, I can conclude that individuals with more …
Social Media Effects On People's Fear Of Terrorism, Cameron Pastore
Social Media Effects On People's Fear Of Terrorism, Cameron Pastore
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
In the past few decades, social media has constantly been upgraded to comply with users' needs. Social media has become a prevalent tool today as many use it to share their thoughts and gain a glimpse into other people's lives, but a lot of people also use social media to obtain news about what is going on in the world and their communities. In this article, I examine social media’s influence on people's fear of a potential terrorist attack on their homeland. The data for this research was obtained through The Chapman University Survey on American Fears (CSAF), conducted in …
Political Participation: Beyond The Vote, Miriam Elfahdi
Political Participation: Beyond The Vote, Miriam Elfahdi
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Participation in political and social matters is a core part of democracy. The manner in which people participate varies vastly and can have different outcomes. In this essay I will examine the relationship between respondents' age, income, gender, race, and education level and the way they participate politically. Using reliable data from the American National Election Studies, I will examine the previously listed independent variables to various questions on political participation from the 2020 version of the survey. Among the findings, I find a mild relationship between age and attendance in protests/rallies. These findings point to the importance of analyzing …
Qanon Deconstructed: Faith And Lies, Sam Andrus
Qanon Deconstructed: Faith And Lies, Sam Andrus
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
All prior categorizations of conspiracy theories fall short when applied to the system of belief known as QAnon. This paper first examines the previous literature that laid down a basis for understanding the nature of conspiracies and isolates aspects of the QAnon canon to delineate and test the predictors of belief. The data for this research were obtained from the 2020 wave of the Chapman Survey of American Fears (CSAF) conducted by the Earl Babbie Research Center at Chapman University. Layered crosstabulation tests and multiple linear regression results find that conspiratorial thinking outweighs partisanship when predicting QAnon belief. Strikingly, despite …
Biopolitics And Belief: The Impacts Of Religious Attitudes On Reproductive Rights In The U.S., Katlyn Barbaccia
Biopolitics And Belief: The Impacts Of Religious Attitudes On Reproductive Rights In The U.S., Katlyn Barbaccia
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade (1973)—a groundbreaking case that legalized the right to have an abortion—which signified a deep rift in the nation between the opinions of its lawmakers and citizens in the wake of a widening partisan gap. Biopower, according to Foucault, can be defined as the governing of bodies wherein citizens are stripped of bodily autonomy and are closely regulated by the nation-state. Manifested in political consequences, this can be defined as biopolitics, or when the nation-state’s ideas are made into a reality in the political realm. …
Down The Rabbit Hole: Understanding The Instigators Of The Qanon Conspiracy, Trevor Mcnally
Down The Rabbit Hole: Understanding The Instigators Of The Qanon Conspiracy, Trevor Mcnally
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Conspiratorial ideas have permeated the American ethos for decades. Whether it be Hollywood faking the moon landing to government involvement in the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers, there has always been a subsection of the population who believes larger relevant forces are at work. As humanity moves towards a more digital existence, conspiracy theorists also have advanced; enter Qanon. This paper will attempt to deduce the correlation between members of the Qanon community and what external factors could drive one to this belief. Qanon is a conspiratorial community that has attached itself to former President Donald Trump; their thoughts …
What Are You Scared Of? How Social Media News Consumption Impacts Voter Fear, Emilie Haskell
What Are You Scared Of? How Social Media News Consumption Impacts Voter Fear, Emilie Haskell
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
In the ideal world, all voters create the perfect democracy by voting through rational choice: logically comparing the available candidates, and selecting the one they perceive to best promote the public good. However, this is not always the case, and the rise of social media news has brought new levels of fear and distrust into the polls. In this piece, I will be examining whether those who reported getting their news from social media are likely to vote for a politician because of their fears. I will be using data collected by the 2020/21 edition of the Chapman Survey of …
How Conservative Media Influences Views On Illegal Immigration, Juhi Doshi
How Conservative Media Influences Views On Illegal Immigration, Juhi Doshi
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Conservative media sources tend to amplify antiimmigrant rhetoric on their news platforms. Relying on the 2021 Chapman Survey of American Fears, I examine how conservative media sources like FOX News may influence how likely one is to fear illegal immigration in comparison to someone who watches CNN. Data is sourced from questions that ask subjects how afraid they are of illegal immigration, where they get their news from, what their racial attitudes are, and their political affiliation. The topic of illegal immigration has been studied for years, however there is not much literature published on how media consumption can directly …
Why Do Americans Report A Greater Fear Of Government Restrictions On Firearms Than In Years Prior?, Ethan Oppenheim
Why Do Americans Report A Greater Fear Of Government Restrictions On Firearms Than In Years Prior?, Ethan Oppenheim
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
In recent years, studies have shown that support for increased gun control legislation has decreased to its lowest point in nearly a decade and yearly gun sales have approached record numbers. Statistical data found in the Chapman Survey of American Fears suggests that over the past three years, the percentage of Americans who fear government restrictions on firearms has dramatically increased. In this project, I examine this dramatic shift in sentiments and identify the racial, ethnic, and religious demographics which are driving these evolving sentiments on firearm regulations. Upon observing responses given in the most recent survey as well as …
Fear And Skepticism: A Changing Climate During The Trump Era, Devin Lopez
Fear And Skepticism: A Changing Climate During The Trump Era, Devin Lopez
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Public awareness of the climate crisis has increased over the past several decades due in part to increased exposure to climate science and the drastic reports released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This report uses the past four years of the Chapman Survey on American Fears to track the groups most fearful of climate change and those who have high levels of environmental concern. The variables tracked across these years include individual income, education level, age, political ideology and party identification, as well as the extent to which one believes the Bible is literal in its content. These …
The Rise Of Social Media And The Fall Of Internal Peace: How Do Media Influence People's Fear Of Mass Shootings?, Christian Grevin
The Rise Of Social Media And The Fall Of Internal Peace: How Do Media Influence People's Fear Of Mass Shootings?, Christian Grevin
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
The impact of traditional versus social media on people’s fears of a mass shooting is a matter worthy of study given the scarcity of research and analysis, as well as the prominence mass shootings have gained in American society and media. Many studies have been conducted evaluating the connection between local TV news and fear, showing that the consumption of local TV news has increased people's fear of crimes. However, there have been few studies examining the relationship between social media usage and one’s fear of crime. In this paper, I will examine the correlation between fear of mass shootings …
Political Parties On Campus: College Republicans And College Democrats’ Conceptions Of Partisanship, Philip Goodrich
Political Parties On Campus: College Republicans And College Democrats’ Conceptions Of Partisanship, Philip Goodrich
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
This project seeks to examine College Republicans and College Democrats’ conceptions of partisanship. Specifically, I will test a theory set forth by Matt Grossmann and David A. Hopkins that claims the “Republican Party is best viewed as the agent of an ideological movement whose members are united by a common devotion to the principle of limited government” and the “Democratic Party is properly understood as a coalition of social groups whose interests are served by various forms of government activity” (2015). By performing a content analysis of College Republicans and College Democrats’ social media posts, I hypothesize that College Democrats …
Behind The Belief: Predictors Of Why People Believe In Conspiracy Theories, Erisa Castillo
Behind The Belief: Predictors Of Why People Believe In Conspiracy Theories, Erisa Castillo
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
Many people have used conspiracy theories as explanations to justify situations or events that the United States Government has carried out; however, many have no reliable evidence. These theories are often made by power groups that are usually politically motivated. So why do people believe in conspiracy theories? One reason may be our lack of confidence, trust, and transparency between our government and us as American citizens. Using the Chapman University Survey of American Fears, I will look into the various variables that play leading factors in why people are influenced into believing conspiracy theories. Also, whether one conspiracy theory …
Covid 19 & Qanon: Enter The World Of Conspiracies, Gianluca Allesina
Covid 19 & Qanon: Enter The World Of Conspiracies, Gianluca Allesina
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
From Covid-19 to Qanon to a global warming hoax, we live in a world drowning in misinformation spread on the internet. Q-anonymous, a purposed government “leaker” is an alleged high-level government informant, according to Qanon followers, who posted cryptic messages about a satanic government on the now-defunct forum website, 8chan. This project will examine the possible relationship between a belief in various conspiracy theories associated with Qanon and how the Coronavirus affected rates of belief, utilizing the Chapman Survey of American Fears, a national study using a representative sample of U.S. adults. I expect to find that partisanship will play …
The Rise And Fall Of The American Fear Of Climate Change: Examining The Trends Of Climate Change Fear In The United States, Hannah Waldorf
The Rise And Fall Of The American Fear Of Climate Change: Examining The Trends Of Climate Change Fear In The United States, Hannah Waldorf
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
The changing climate is a situation that can be characterized by the threat of dangerous and irreparable changes to the planet. These alterations include an increase in global temperatures, food and water insecurities, extreme weather patterns, social unrest, and political conflict. Fear of the climate’s change has decreased within the past two years (2020 and 2021)—this paper will examine factors that influence the change in American climate fear. Using data from The Chapman University Survey on American Fears (CSAF)—which includes 1,035 participants—it is expected that the current downward trend in climate change fear is rooted in changes of media consumption, …
Does Fear Of Government Corruption Affect Voter Turnout?, Ryan Nahmias
Does Fear Of Government Corruption Affect Voter Turnout?, Ryan Nahmias
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
According to the Survey of American Fears (2020-2021) fear of corrupt government officials is the number one thing Americans fear: 79.6 % of them in fact. In addition, voter turnout is one of the quintessential pillars that allows a democracy to function properly. In this paper I will examine the extent to which fear of government officials’ corruption affects voter turnout. Using the data from the Chapman Survey of American Fears and variables from the American National Election Study between 2020 and 2021, I expect to find a moderately strong relationship between fear of government corruption and voter turnout. Moreover, …
Media Influences On Fear Of Immigrants, Mira Eissa
Media Influences On Fear Of Immigrants, Mira Eissa
Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters
The 2016 election and President Donald Trump’s administration, tapped into U.S. citizens’ polarization regarding the topic of immigration. There was and is a clear negative depiction of immigrants in many different local and national outlets including social media. Using the data collected from Chapman's survey of American fears in 2021, I analyze how fear of immigrants is related to media consumption. Social media and news outlets' coverage of immigrants directly influences the public’s attitudes. Agenda setting, priming, and framing help us understand that news and media construct a perception for people that might not be accurate. Citizens have formed their …