Toby Bolsen
Associate Professor Political Science- Education
Ph.D. Political Science, Northwestern University
- Specializations
Professor Bolsen's research focuses on the study of political communication, public opinion, political behavior, experimental methods, and U.S. energy and climate policy.
- Biography
His more recent work explores how providing individuals with different types of information about the effects of climate change, in rhetorical settings where scientific consensus messages often compete with efforts to politicize the science, influences people’s beliefs about the fundamentals of climate science, concern about the issue, and support for different climate-and-energy-related public policies. Professor Bolsen teaches a variety of courses including graduate courses in political psychology, political communication, and public opinion. He is Director of the Zoukis Research Collaborative in Political Science.
- Publications
Bolsen, Toby, Risa Palm, and Justin T. Kingsland. (Forthcoming). “The Impact of Message Source on the Effectiveness of Communications about Climate Change.” Science Communication
Palm, Risa, and Toby Bolsen. Climate Change and Sea Level Rise in South Florida: The View of Coastal Residents. Forthcoming. Springer Press.
Bolsen, Toby, Risa Palm, and Justin Kingsland. 2019. “Counteracting Climate Science Politicization with Effective Frames and Imagery.” Science Communication 41(2): 147–170.
Bolsen, Toby & Risa Palm. 2019. Motivated Reasoning and Political Decision Making. In Oxford Encyclopedia of Political Decision Making.
Shapiro, Matthew A., and Toby Bolsen. 2019. “Korean Perceptions of Transboundary Air Pollution and Domestic Coal Development: Two Framing Experiments.” Energy Policy 126(1): 333–342.
Bolsen, Toby, and James N. Druckman. 2018. “Do Partisanship and Politicization Undermine the Impact of a Scientific Consensus Message about Climate Change?” Group Processes and Intergroup Relations 21(3): 389–402.
Bolsen, Toby, Justin Kingsland, and Risa Palm. 2018. “The Impact of Frames Highlighting Coastal Flooding in the U.S.A. on Climate Change Beliefs.”
Climatic Change 147(1–2): 359–368.