Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Science

'Conflict entrepreneurs': Examining divisive political rhetoric and the pursuit of celebrity by politicians

American politics is increasingly characterized by high levels of polarization and divisive rhetoric, despite stated preferences among voters for civility and substantive debate. Sean J. Westwood and colleagues sought to understand what might incentivize a politician to use divisive rhetoric by anal...

'Conflict entrepreneurs': Examining divisive political rhetoric and the pursuit of celebrity by politicians
Image: Phys.org
American politics is increasingly characterized by high levels of polarization and divisive rhetoric, despite stated preferences among voters for civility and substantive debate. Sean J. Westwood and colleagues sought to understand what might incentivize a politician to use divisive rhetoric by analyzing 2.2 million public statements from the 118th U.S. Congress. The study is published in PNAS Nexus.

Originally published at Phys.org

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