Neil O’Brian is assistant professor of political science at the University of Oregon. O’Brian received a PhD in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and served as a postdoctoral research fellow at Princeton University. O’Brian’s research focuses on polarization, public opinion, political parties, Congress, and representation.
His book The Roots of Polarization: From the Racial Realignment to the Culture Wars is forthcoming from the University of Chicago Press (August 2024). Using 80 years of public opinion data and original archival research, The Roots of Polarization argues that the 1960s racial realignment profoundly shaped contemporary partisan polarization on “culture war” issues like abortion, immigration, and gun control.
O’Brian’s project, “Partisan Prescriptions: The Polarization of Health Outcomes,” will investigate how political predispositions shape health outcomes, trust in doctors, and adherence to medications — beyond the scope of the COVID pandemic.
May 2024
