In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Yanna Krupnikov joins Julia, Lee, and James to discuss independent voters and the impact they have on American politics. Krupnikov is Professor of Political Science at Stony Brook University. Her research and teaching focuses on political psychology, political communication, political persuasion, political behavior, and empirical methodology. She is the co-author (with Samara Klar) of Independent Politics: How American Disdain for Parties Has Led to Political Inaction (Cambridge University press, 2016).

What causes Americans to identify as political independents? What impact do they have on politics? And what does their rising number in recent years reveal about American politics more broadly? These are some of the questions that Yanna, Julia, Lee, and James discuss in this week’s episode.