Dr. Daniel Simmons (he/him)

Professor Simmons studies the intersection between how the law functions and how the people react to the law. Specifically, his research uses survey experiments to examine how controversial policing affects the U.S. public’s opinion of the police and local government, as well as the U.S. public’s attitudes towards policing policy. He has also conducted research with colleagues to use human subject experiments to examine how religion affects U.S. foreign intervention policy preferences, how different incentives for COVID-19 vaccination can improve likelihood of public support, and how partisan polarization affects public support for democratic expansion policies, such as universal mail-in voting. His research has been published in outlets including the Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, & Parties, Journal of Health Politics, Policy, & Law, Social Science Quarterly, PLoS ONE, and The Washington Post. Before coming to UWEC in 2023, Professor Simmons taught at Saint Michael's College. Professor Simmons teaches courses on topics including U.S. political behavior, public opinion, state/local politics, and constitutional law.