Overview
Professor Johnston teaches courses in public opinion, political behavior, and political methodology, with an emphasis on the application of psychological theory and methods to mass politics. His teaching and research examine the motivational underpinnings of political judgment and decision making. His research appears in a wide range of journals in political science, and he is co-author of The Ambivalent Partisan: How Critical Loyalty Promotes Democracy (2012, Oxford University Press), which …
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Political Science
·
2024 - Present
Political Science,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Co-Director of the Worldview Lab in the Kenan Institute for Ethics
·
2018 - Present
Kenan Institute for Ethics,
University Institutes and Centers
Recent Publications
An Ideology by Any Other Name
Journal Article Political Behavior · March 1, 2025 The terms ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ are prominent features of political discourse in the United States, and many citizens choose to identify with one of these ideological labels. Yet, many citizens do not fit comfortably in either of these categories, a ... Full text CiteAn Assessment of Citizens’ Capacity for Prospective Issue Voting using Incentivized Forecasting
Journal Article Quarterly Journal of Political Science · January 13, 2025 The ability of voters to predict the future policy-related behavior of candidates is essential to a well-functioning representative democracy. But existing studies have difficulty distinguishing between detailed knowledge of individual candidates and the u ... Full text CiteMixed evidence for a relationship of cognitive fatigue to political engagement
Journal Article Electoral Studies · June 1, 2023 Daily cognitive fatigue is widespread, yet we are still learning about its influence on political behavior. Existing research suggests fatigue will reduce consumption of politics at the margin. Moreover, when fatigued individuals do engage with political m ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Repeated Measure Designs in Survey Experiments
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Rapoport Family Foundation · 2024 - 2025Politics and Polarization in the Methodist Church: A Text Analysis of Sermons
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Social Science Research Council · 2023 - 2024Politics and Polarization in the Methodist Church: A Text Analysis of Sermons
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Institute for Humane Studies · 2023 - 2024View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
Stony Brook University ·
2011
Ph.D.