Associate Professor Hillary Shulman focuses on research that bridges the gap between complex information and public understanding. Her recent work highlights the importance of clear, accessible communication in both political polling and scientific discourse.

At the Annual Association of Public Opinion Researchers conference in St. Louis, Missouri, Shulman and PhD student Blue Lerner presented “Identifying, Assessing, and Measuring the Effects of Polling’s Communication Problem.” Co-authored with R. Lance Holbert and Ken Winneg of the University of Pennsylvania, the study found that people are more likely to understand and trust polls when methodology is explained in clear, simple terms.

Their research found that when polling methodology is explained in plain, easy-to-understand language, people are more likely to grasp how polls work, trust the results and feel confident in their accuracy. The research underscores the critical role of transparency and clarity in restoring public confidence in polling data, especially in an era of widespread skepticism.

Shulman also co-authored a commentary in Nature News & Views on the use of jargon in science. She and her co-author argue that technical language can obscure meaning and call for greater use of plain language to build public trust.