Ryan Claassen

Ryan L. Claassen is a Professor of Political Science at Kent State University.  He teaches at both the PhD and Undergraduate levels on the topics of American Politics, Public Opinion, and Methodology. His research interests include political participation, citizen competence, public opinion, election administration, religion and politics, interest groups, and racial and ethnic politics.  He is author of Godless Democrats and Pious Republicans (Cambridge University Press), coeditor with Paul Djupe of the forthcoming book Evangelical Crackup? The Future of the Evangelical-Republican Coalition (Temple University Press), and author and coauthor of numerous articles in journals such as, American Politics Research, The Journal of Politics, The Journal of Political Science Education, Political Behavior, Political Research Quarterly, PS: Political Science and Politics, and Public Opinion Quarterly.  He has been interviewed regarding voting, elections, public opinion and religion and politics for news stories for international, national and local newspapers, has appeared on local NPR and NBC affiliates, and he is an occasional contributor to the Washington Post's Monkey Cage feature.

For additional information, please visit my personal web page.

SCHOLARLY, CREATIVE & PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

BOOKS

• Djupe, Paul A. and Ryan L. Claassen.  Editors.  2018. The Evangelical Crackup?  The Future of the Evangelical-Republican Coalition. Temple University Press.
• Claassen, Ryan L., 2015    Godless Democrats and Pious Republicans? Party Activists, Party Capture and the “God Gap”. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Journal Articles

• Voters Like Election “Reforms” that Help Their Party Win (with Michael Ensley). Check out our new American Politics Research article: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1532673X251376928
• When Election Fraud is Alleged, Do Voters Make Good Referees? Check out our new Political Behavior article (with Michael Ensley and John Ryan) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11109-024-09990-2
• Are Presidential Polls Biased? Check out our new Acta Politica article (with John Ryan): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41269-024-00356-4

Grants

• Political Malaise: Polarization and the Loneliness Epidemic. (with Michael Beam and Michael Ensley) Healthy Communities Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio--$20,000. Awarded March 2026 (Grant # HCRI202601LP).
• Political Malaise: Polarization and the Loneliness Epidemic. (awarded to Michael Beam in support of Healthy Communities Research Institute Grant) College of Communication and Information Research and Creative Activity Fund (RACAF), Kent State University, Kent, Ohio--$4,500. Awarded April 2026.
• A Classroom-Based Experiment to Investigate the Linkages Between New Media, Civic Learning, and Civic Action Among Young People.  (with J. Quin Monson) Spencer Foundation, Chicago, Illinois--$40,000.  Awarded August 2010 (Grant #201100076).