Brian F. Schaffner is the Newhouse Professor of Civic Studies in the Department of Political Science and Tisch College at Tufts University. He is also codirector of the Cooperative Election Study, the largest academic survey of the American public and a core resource for academic researchers and the news media for understanding public opinion and American elections.
Schaffner’s research focuses on public opinion, elections, political participation, and political parties. His most recent books are Hometown Inequality: Race, Class, and Representation in American Local Politics(Oxford University Press, 2021) and The Acceptance and Expression of Prejudice during the Trump Era (Cambridge University Press, 2020). His research has also appeared in over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles.
Before coming to Tufts, Schaffner was a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He holds a PhD in political science from Indiana University and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia.
His project, “American Mosaic: The Social Identities That Define Our Politics and a Path to Bridge the Divide,” will leverage large-scale survey data to construct and explore the American Mosaic — the picture of American politics that is created from the unique intersection of our most politically salient social identities. Along with Stephen Ansolabehere, he will explore the extent to which political polarization is defined by social divisions, the groups that anchor either side of the political spectrum, and the issues and life experiences that can help bring those groups closer together.
May 2024
