politics — ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Thu, 31 Oct 2024 16:26:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 Does Fear and Anxiety Get People to the Polls? /blog/2024/10/30/does-fear-and-anxiety-get-people-to-the-polls/ Wed, 30 Oct 2024 17:43:40 +0000 /?p=204831 Reporters looking for an expert to discuss issues around the election and the ongoing anxiety and fear permeating society, please see comments from , professor of political science at the Maxwell School at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ and co-author of “” and “.”
Professor Gadarian can discuss how anxiety impacts voter participation. Please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations at ejmbuqe@syr.edu, to schedule an interview.
From Professor Gadarian:
  • “I think that there are high levels of anxiety about this election because the stakes of the election are very high. Anxiety comes from the sense of uncertainty about the future and here that anxiety is what is the nature of the US government and society going forward,” said Gadarian.
  • “Harris and Trump have very different visions for who has power and who benefits from government in the future. Trump’s vision is of a future where the federal government deports immigrants, takes revenge on enemies foreign and domestic, and keeps ‘America for Americans’. This is a vision that appeals to a part of the electorate who feels left behind, but it is not one that is widely shared even among people who may ultimately support Trump at the ballot box.
  • “Harris’s vision is more about using the federal government to broaden who shares in power and who benefits from programs like Medicare. The uncertainty and anxiety that she is focusing on is about Trump’s unique threat to the democratic institutions of government and that the future might bring a diminished democracy or no real democracy under a second Trump term with fewer guardrails than in the first term,” said Gadarian. “Anxiety alone is not a motivator for action, in fact, it can lead to avoidance in very high levels.”
  • “But pairing anxiety with a solution and telling people how to resolve it can allow people to feel efficacious. Importantly, the best antidote for anxiety at this point is the same no matter which candidate’s vision you subscribe to and it’s to vote,” said Gadarian.
]]> How to Manage Your Stress During the 2024 Election /blog/2024/10/24/how-to-manage-your-stress-during-the-2024-election/ Thu, 24 Oct 2024 19:00:55 +0000 /?p=204631 The American Psychological Association (APA) just released theirÌýÌýthat shows that Americans are stressed out and politics and the 2024 election were some of the top concerns.
According to the APA, More than 7 in 10 adults reported the future of our nation (77%) as a significant source of stress in their lives, making it the most common source of significant stress in this year’s survey. The economy was the second most common, with 73% of adults having reported it as a significant source of stress. The 2024 U.S. presidential election followed closely at 69%.
ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Psychology ProfessorÌý offers four recommendations for managing stress and anxiety during the 2024 election season:
“Many people are feeling heightened anxiety and stress during the 2024 election season. Concerns from 2020 have persisted, and in my opinion, have been amplified by ongoing national and global events. In my own clinical practice, I often hear anxieties pertaining to global instability, erosions of civil rights and the impact of misinformation. All three of these anxieties are being intensified by the polarizing election season and, most concerningly to me, seem to be associated with increased feelings of helplessness,” said Professor Antshel
“To manage the increased stress, anxiety and helplessness that some may be experiencing in the 2024 election season, several of the following coping strategies may be beneficial to consider,” said Professor Antshel.
  1. “Focus on what you can control – the antidote to helplessness is taking action. Channel your energy into constructive activities that can provide a sense of accomplishment.
  2. Practice self-care – adequate sleep, regular physical activity and healthy eating habits are important for all of us, yet especially important during stressful times.
  3. Obtain adequate social support offline – online discussions can become flame wars and unproductive. Meaningfully connect with others offline daily. Set boundaries around news consumption and social media use.
  4. Stay grounded and keep your perspective – try to not allow dark feelings and events to take up all your mental space. Make room to see the good and experiences that give you hope and purpose.”
To schedule an interview, please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations, at ejmbuqe@syr.edu.
]]> Will Abortion Bring Voters to the 2024 Polls? /blog/2024/04/04/will-abortion-bring-voters-to-the-2024-polls/ Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:16:44 +0000 /?p=204948 Reporters looking for an expert to discuss how abortion can be a motivating factor for voters, please see comments from political science professor Shana Gadarian who studies political behavior and is co-author of “” and “.”
This week, Florida’s state supreme court allowed the 6-week abortion ban to take effect but also allowed a proposed amendment protecting abortion rights in the state constitution to be on the ballot in November. Professor Gadarian says that this could prove to be a powerful motivator for voters.
  • “In every state where abortion has been on the ballot since the end of Roe v. Wade, abortion access has won with significant majorities even in conservative states. This means that there are voters in places like Kansas, Ohio, and Kentucky who normally support Republican candidates who turned out in off-year elections to support abortion access as a single issue,” said Gadarian.
  • “As in other states, I would anticipate that there are a lot of conservative voters in Florida who ultimately support more access to abortion than the 6-week ban that is going to go into effect and abortion access is a popular issue. Two things make this ballot measure more challenging for abortion access than the previous ballot measures:
    • “1. the threshold for victory for this constitutional amendment that would enshrine access is 60% which is more than the threshold that Ohio’s constitutional amendment won by (57%), and
    • 2. being during a presidential election cycle means that you will see higher turnout generally which will include more Republicans voters who may be more skeptical of a constitutional amendment,” said Gadarian.
  • “That doesn’t mean that it will lose – this constitutional amendment will likely drive more Democrats to the polls, but in my mind, the election timing does make it more challenging. What you are likely to see is that there will be cross-over conservative voters who vote for abortion access and Trump for president so I wouldn’t anticipate that even this salient issue is enough to swing Florida toward Biden even if people support a policy that is more aligned with Democrats,” said Gadarian.
Please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations at ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ, at ejmbuqe@syr.edu to schedule an interview.
You can also see some of Professor Gadarian’s interviews:
  • ±«³§´¡,Ìý
  • µþµþ°ä,Ìý
  • Christian Science MonitorÌý
  • NBC News,Ìý
  • Agence France-Presse,Ìý
  • Newsweek,Ìý
  • WBUR’s On Point,Ìý
  • Axios,Ìý
  • US News and World Report,Ìý
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