McNair Scholar 2017 - Zack Crowley
Zack Crowley is a senior at the University of Minnesota. He is majoring in psychology with a minor in political science. His research interests include the interaction of personality and environment in politics, authoritarianism and mass behavior in politics. Mr. Crowley plans on getting his Ph.D. in Political Science or Social Psychology.
Quote from Zack Crowley
My dream is to receive a Ph.D. in political science or social psychology in order to do research in political psychology including inter-group relations, mass political behavior and authoritarianism. I want to write about these topics and teach as a member of the faculty of a research-based university
Research project
The Interaction of Economic Inequality and Authoritarianism on Voter Preference During the 2016 Presidential Election
Abstract: I examined the interaction of personality and environmental context on voter preference in the 2016 Presidential election. Survey data from the 2016 CSPP-PEP was merged with county and zip code level data including racial diversity, Gini coefficient (representing level of economic inequality) and percent below the poverty line. Authoritarianism was analyzed as the personality predisposition. I hypothesized that the impact of authoritarianism on voter choice in the election (Trump vs. Clinton) would depend on the context-level variables. The results of regression analyses interacting authoritarianism and Gini coefficient as well as percent below the poverty line showed these economic measures of inequality activated the authoritarian dynamic and led to divergent candidate evaluations.
Faculty mentor
Dr. Howard Lavine is the Arleen C. Carlson Professor of Political Science and Psychology at the University of Minnesota and the Director of the Center for the Study of Political Psychology. Dr. Lavine received his doctorate in Psychology at the University of Minnesota in 1994. His research interests in political psychology include personality, partisanship, and race. Dr. Lavine has published numerous articles in political science and social psychology journals, in addition to op-ed articles for the New York Times and the Washington Post. He is the author or co-author of three books.