Jennifer L. Merolla

Jennifer Merolla (B.A. Boston College; M.A. and Ph.D. Duke University) is Professor of Political
Science at the University of California, Riverside. Her research focuses on how the political
environment shapes public evaluations of politicalleaders (with a focus on women leaders),
political engagement and voting behavior, immigration policy attitudes, foreign policy attitudes,
and support for democratic values and institutions. She is co-author of Democracy at Risk: How
Terrorist Threats Affect the Public, published with the University of Chicago Press (2009), and
Framing Immigrants: News Coverage, Public Opinion and Policy, published with the Russell Sage
Foundation (2016). Her work has also appeared in journals such as Comparative Political Studies,
Electoral Studies, the Journal of Politics, Perspectives on Politics, Political Behavior, Political
Research Quarterly, Political Psychology, and Women, Politics, and Policy. Merolla is also field
editor of American Political Behavior for the Journal of Politics. She engages the broader public
through media, including writing in outlets such as CNBC, The Hill (Congress Blog), The
Washington Post (Monkey Cage) and U.S. News and World Report.