Center for Democracy, Art, and Popular Culture
Research
The CDAPC Political Identity and Popular Culture Survey
741 adults ages 18-49 surveyed in fall 2025 via the Prolific survey platform. Respondents were asked to list their favorites in each content category. The answers were diffuse, but trends are evident in the top three listed by men and women with different political affiliations. Lead researchers: Natalie Pennington, Nick Marx, Karrin Anderson. Research Team: David Wolfgang, Logan Breidenbach, Adam Kwon.
In the News
Who Does JD Vance Think He Is?(opens in new tab), New York Times, July 28, 2026
How MAGA Humor Took Over American Comedy. PopMatters, February 16, 2026.
Laughing in Joe Rogan Land. The Observer, October 2, 2025
A Baby. A Double Mastectomy. Many Opinions From Fox News Viewers. The New York Times, 28 September, 28, 2025.
Charlie Kirk Vigil at Colorado State University Tonight. Westword, September 18, 2025
Expert Commentary and Public Scholarship
Why ‘The West Wing’ went from a bipartisan hit to a polarized streaming comfort watch over 2 decades, reflecting profound shifts in media and politics. The Conversation, February 9, 2026.
How ‘South Park’ could help Democrats win back the young voters the party lost to Trump. The Conversation, September 11, 2025.
How liberals lost comedy − and helped Trump win. The Conversation, December 17, 2024.
Conservatives’ ‘anti-woke’ alternative to Disney has finally arrived. The Conversation, December 8, 2023.
The movie ‘Barbie’ has put the phrase ‘toxic femininity’ back in the news – here’s what it means and why you should care. The Conversation, August 8, 2023.
Holy voter suppression, Batgirl! What comics reveal about gender and democracy. The Conversation, July 19, 2023.
‘The Diplomat’ negotiates expectations – and myths – about gender, power and politics. The Conversation, May 11, 2023
How Joe Rogan became podcasting’s Goliath. The Conversation, February 10, 2022.
How conservative comic Greg Gutfeld overtook Stephen Colbert in ratings to become the most popular late-night TV host. The Conversation, September 24, 2021
Watch more TV to understand the backlash against the women in the running for vice president. The Conversation, August 7, 2020.
Journal Articles and Book Chapters
Greene, Ryan and Karrin Vasby Anderson. “President Wonder Woman and Congresswoman Batgirl: The Authoritarian Überfrau and Democratic Resilience in Superheroine Comics.” Quarterly Journal of Speech 111, no. 3 (2025): 423-450, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00335630.2024.2406886.
Marx, Nick. “Netflix, Comedy, and the Algorithmic Absurdity of I Think You Should Leave. In Pete Kunze and Will Costanzo (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Screen Comedy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025, 602-618.