Authors:  David Lazer, Brian Rubineau, Carol Chetkovich, Nancy Katz, Michael Neblo Working Paper

Project Description: How do attitudes and social affiliations co-evolve? This study uses longitudinal attitudinal and whole-network data to identify the determinants of attitudes and affiliations. The authors find significant "conformity tendencies," where individuals shift their political views toward those of their associates. Crucially, this conformity is driven more by social ties than by task-related ties, challenging assumptions about how political echo chambers form.

Publication Details:Political Communication, Vol. 27, No. 3 (2010), pp. 248–274 

Keywords: Network Science, Political Attitudes, Social Influence, Homophily 

Filters: Journal Article, Network Science, Political Behavior