research spotlights

Research Spotlight: Political variations in pandemic lifestyles and COVID-19 vaccination by age cohort in the United States

Benjamin Dowd-Arrow, Ph.D., co-authored their journal piece “Political variations in pandemic lifestyles and COVID-19 vaccination by age cohort in the United States” to examine the role that politics play in predicting pandemic lifestyle behaviors for older Americans.

Dr. Dowd-Arrow and their colleagues found that Democrats reported less negative pandemic lifestyle behaviors than Republicans or Independents; moreover, Democrats reported higher odds of being vaccinated than both other groups.

“Our results help better our understanding of the ways in which political discourse shapes the adoption of public health interventions,” Dowd-Arrow said. “Specifically, these findings can help inform public health campaigns to address misinformation and vaccine hesitancy through targeted interventions and community-based strategies that account for age and political beliefs.”

Research Spotlight: What Makes NPOs Sustainable in an Emergency?

Keon-Hyung Lee, Ph.D. ­– the Arnold L. & Priscilla Moss Greenfield Endowed Professor of Public Administration and Public Health – ­recently co-authored a journal article titled “What Makes NPOs Sustainable in an Emergency? Examining the Effect of Person-Organization Fit and Generation on Volunteer Activities During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

The article, published in Dove Medical Press’ Risk Management and Healthcare Policy journal, was co-authored with Donwe Choi, Ph.D., of Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea, and Jongsun Park, Ph.D., of Gachon University in Seongnam-si, South Korea.

Research Spotlight: Gender and Respectability During the Famines That Ravaged Colonial India

In “Gender and Respectability During the Famines That Ravaged Colonial India: A Social and Cultural Analysis,” Maya Topiwala – a recent graduate of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s International Affairs undergraduate program – delves into how the influence of how British colonization in South Asia affected storytelling and language patterns of North Indian men and women during the famines of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Research Spotlight: Does the Musk Twitter Takeover Matter? Political Influencers, Their Arguments, and the Quality of Information They Share

Florida State University Professor of Sociology Deana A. Rohlinger, Ph.D., along with FSU Ph.D. candidate in Sociology Kyle Rose, Sarah Warren, and Stuart Shulman, Ph.D., co-authored the article, “Does the Musk Twitter Takeover Matter? Political Influencers, Their Arguments, and the Quality of Information They Share,” to investigate if permanently suspending accounts on Twitter improved the information circulating about important political issues. 

Research Spotlight: Assessing the Role of Collectivism and Individualism on COVID-19 Beliefs and Behaviors in the Southeastern United States

Rachel Sparkman, Ph.D. candidate, worked with FSU faculty, including Associate Professor of Sociology Patricia Homan, Ph.D., on the paper “Assessing the role of collectivism and individualism on COVID-19 beliefs and behaviors in the Southeastern United States,” finding that people’s perceptions about COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy are linked to cultural behaviors of individualism and collectivism. 

Research Spotlight: The erosion of the administrative state under President Trump: Citizens’ pushback against individual and institutional racism 

James Wright, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Public Administration at Florida State University, co-authored an article in the journal Public Administration Review titled “The erosion of the administrative state under President Trump: Citizens’ pushback against individual and institutional racism” with Michael Blair Thomas, Ph.D. Below is a summary of the article written by doctoral student Martin Gandur (Ph.D. Political Science’ 25). 

Research Spotlight: The Future of Social Determinants of Health: Looking Upstream to Structural Drivers

Patricia Homan, Ph.D., contributed to Millbank Quarterly’s special issue on the future of population health with a co-authored article titled “The Future of Social Determinants of Health: Looking Upstream to Structural Drivers.” The article was co-authored alongside Tyson H. Brown, Ph.D., of Duke University.

Research Spotlight: Protest During a Pandemic: How Covid-19 Affected Social Movements in the United States

Deana A. Rohlinger, Ph.D., authored the article, “Protest During a Pandemic: How Covid-19 Affected Social Movements in the United States,” to investigate how a global health crisis affects the causes and consequences of social movements. 

Research Spotlight: Evacuation Dilemmas of Coastal Households During Cyclone Amphan and Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of the Southwestern Region of Bangladesh

Md. Shaharier Alam, a Master’s Student studying Geography at Florida State University, co-authored an article in the journal Natural Hazards titled, “Evacuation Dilemmas of Coastal Households During Cyclone Amphan and Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of the Southwestern Region of Bangladesh” with Torit Chakraborty; Md. Zakir Hossain, Ph.D.; and Khan Rubayet Rahaman, Ph.D. Below is a summary of the article written by doctoral student Martín Gandur (Ph.D. Political Science ’25).