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Bipartisan-cited science is rarely used by policymakers, study finds

Phys · · 940 words · By Northwestern University
Partisan division in policy research Scientific consensus in policy-making
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What to know about Partisan division in policy research

A new Northwestern study analyzed congressional reports and think tank publications to find that bipartisan citation of scientific research is rare, but when it occurs, the cited papers are highly influential. The research found that bipartisan citation is concentrated in areas like economics and fiscal policy, while being notably absent in topics such as climate governance, inequality, and race and gender. The authors suggest that increasing shared evidentiary bases is crucial for improving the quality of democratic governance.

Propaganda risk 10%
Claims checked 14
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Bipartisan-cited science is rarely used by policymakers, study finds Gaby Clark scientific editor Robert Egan associate editor Past research has shown that even though science is commonly viewed as essential for effective policymaking, Democrats and…

Why it matters

Now, a new Northwestern study analyzing congressional reports, hearings and think tank publications from around the country, has found that bipartisan citations, while rare, highlight papers of exceptional scientific influence.

Common ground

Policy documents citing these papers also receive more citations, amplifying their policy impact—and perhaps providing a pathway for future bipartisan successes.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

A new Northwestern study analyzed congressional reports and think tank publications to find that bipartisan citation of scientific research is rare, but when it occurs, the cited papers are highly influential. The research found that bipartisan citation is concentrated in areas like economics and fiscal policy, while being notably absent in topics such as climate governance, inequality, and race and gender. The authors suggest that increasing shared evidentiary bases is crucial for improving the quality of democratic governance.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bipartisan-cited-science-rarely-policymakers.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Glittering Generalities 60% confidence
Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 5
schedule Pending 4
check_circle Corroborated 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info
Claim 1: “This totaled 424,199 references to 191,244 unique papers.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results provide general academic database information (EconPapers) and document analysis capabilities, but they do not independently confirm the specific figures: '424,199 references to 191,244 unique papers.' This quantitative data is specific to the study being discussed.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. Under the U.S. Constitution, the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_Unit…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 2: “Overton Index, a database of policy document citations Furnas and Wang used to source the policy documents, has been the go-to place for researchers looking to measure fundamental questions about where policymakers are looking for evidence.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results do not contain any information regarding 'The Overton Index' or its use as a database for measuring policymaker evidence sources. The Wikipedia results reference 'Overton' in unrelated contexts (person, location).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Aida Overton Walker (February 14, 1880 – October 11, 1914), also billed as Ada Overton Walker and as "The Queen of the Cakewalk", was an American vaudeville performer, actress, singer, dancer, choreog…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aida_Overton_Walker
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Mackinac Center for Public Policy () is a conservative think tank headquartered in Midland, Michigan. Through research and programs, the Mackinac Center supports lower taxes, reduced regulatory au…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackinac_Center_for_Public_Pol…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Overton is a small village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, about 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of York. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 Census was less th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton,_North_Yorkshire
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 3: “The study, "Bipartisan-Cited Science Is Rare, Unevenly Distributed, and Disproportionately Influential," was published Wednesday (April 22) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the claim cites specific details (title, date, journal), the provided evidence set contains general web search results and Wikipedia entries that do not independently confirm the publication details of this specific study. The evidence count suggests this information came from a single source context not fully provided for cross-verification.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Antidesma bunius is a species of fruit tree in the family Phyllanthaceae. It is native to South Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and northern Australia. It is commonly known as bignay, after its nativ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidesma_bunius
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Carpenter syndrome, also called acrocephalopolysyndactyly type II, is an extremely rare autosomal recessive congenital disorder characterized by craniofacial malformations, obesity, syndactyly, and po…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter_syndrome
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A salt glacier (or namakier) is a rare flow of rock salt that is created when a rising diapir in a salt dome breaches the surface of Earth. The name ‘salt glacier’ was given to this phenomenon because…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_glacier
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 4: “Policy documents citing these papers also receive more citations, amplifying their policy impact.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results provide general definitions of 'policy' but do not contain independent confirmation that 'Policy documents citing bipartisan-cited papers receive more citations, increasing their policy impact.' This specific mechanism is only mentioned in the context of the study's findings, which is not corroborated by other sources.
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web search NEUTRAL — A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an organization. Policies can assist in both subjective and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policy
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of POLICY is prudence or wisdom in the management of affairs. How to use policy in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/policy
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A policy is a set of ideas or plans that is used as a basis for making decisions, especially in politics, economics, or business. ...plans that include changes in foreign policy and economic reforms.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/poli…
schedule
Claim 5: “Nearly 70% of bipartisan-cited papers fall into that category [top 5%], while only approximately 55% of partisan-cited papers do.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 6: “A new Northwestern study analyzing congressional reports, hearings and think tank publications from around the country, has found that bipartisan citations, while rare, highlight papers of exceptional scientific influence.”
CORROBORATED
The web search results contain a direct report stating that a 'new Northwestern study analyzing congressional reports, hearings and think tank publications from around the country, has found that bipartisan citations, while rare, highlight papers of exceptional scientific influence,' corroborating the claim.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Now, a new Northwestern study analyzing congressional reports, hearings and think tank publications from around the country, has found that bipartisan citations, while rare, highlight papers of except…
https://www.miragenews.com/research-bipartisan-science-rarel…
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web search NEUTRAL — Discover the world's scientific knowledge | With 160+ million publication pages, 25+ million researchers, and 1+ million questions, this is where everyone can access science.
https://www.researchgate.net/search
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — To examine this year’s AI hearings, our team pulled hearing transcripts for 28 AI hearings in the House and Senate this year. Lawmaker testimonies in each hearing were then run through an AI topic ana…
https://medium.com/chamber-of-progress/we-used-ai-to-analyze…
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Claim 7: “The research team, led by the Kellogg School of Management's Dashun Wang and Alexander Furnas, observed that bipartisan-cited science is unevenly distributed, concentrated in economics, fiscal policy, regulation and health care, but notably absent in climate governance, inequality and race and gender.”
CORROBORATED
The web search results include a direct quote from the research findings stating that the science is 'concentrated in economics, fiscal policy, regulation and healthcare, but notably absent in' the listed areas, corroborating the core elements of the claim.
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web search NEUTRAL — en annan studie, publicerad i Economics Letters.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016517652…
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web search NEUTRAL — The research team, led by the Kellogg School of Management's Dashun Wang and Alexander Furnas, observed that bipartisan-cited science is unevenly distributed, concentrated in economics, fiscal policy,…
https://www.miragenews.com/research-bipartisan-science-rarel…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Reproducible Research in Computational Science.
https://www.science.org/journal/science
schedule
Claim 8: “The finding that Democrats and Republicans rarely use the same science to try to learn those things is a problem, according to Furnas.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 9: “Democrats and Republicans cite different scientific research when creating policy—even when addressing the same topic.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results indicate that Democrats and Republicans cite different scientific research when addressing the same policy topics, supporting the claim that citation differences exist across the political spectrum.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Past research has shown that even though science is commonly viewed as essential for effective policymaking, Democrats and Republicans cite different scientific research when creating policy - even wh…
https://www.miragenews.com/research-bipartisan-science-rarel…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Democrats Vs Republicans This video explains the major political differences between the Democratic and Republican party views. The different topics that are...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PrvciTGpRI
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — What if Republicans are people who know Democratic policies don't work, for a variety of reasons, and choose to vote for the party that does less damage.
https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2016/03/co…
help
Claim 10: “The results were that 6.7% of papers showed bipartisan use in policymaking.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries to confirm the specific statistic that '6.7% of the analyzed papers showed bipartisan use in policymaking.'
help
Claim 11: “Bipartisan-cited science tends to be among the 5% most highly cited papers published within the field and year.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries to confirm the claim that 'Bipartisan-cited science tends to be among the 5% most highly cited papers published within its field and year.'
schedule
Claim 12: “Alexander C. Furnas et al, Bipartisan-cited science is rare, unevenly distributed, and disproportionately influential, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2026). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2523760123”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 13: “Bipartisan-cited science seems to be more common in certain areas, such as economics, but not so common in topics such as gender or race.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 14: “Researchers looked at congressional committee reports and hearings (1995-2022) from the 104th through 116th Congresses and publications from 121 U.S.-based ideological think tanks that have discernible ideologies as of left or right of center.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results confirm the existence of congressional reports and hearings and mention analyzing topics, but they do not independently confirm the specific scope: 'congressional committee reports and hearings from the 104th through 116th Congresses (1995-2022) and publications from 121 U.S.-based ideological think tanks.' This specific methodology is only present in the context of the source material.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 111th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. It began during the last weeks of the Geor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/111th_United_States_Congress
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mark Edward Kelly (born February 21, 1964) is an American politician and a retired astronaut and naval officer. He is the senior United States senator from Arizona, a seat he has held since 2020. He i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Kelly
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mass shootings are incidents involving multiple victims of firearm related violence. Definitions vary, with no single, broadly accepted definition. One definition is an act of public firearm violence—…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_shootings_in_the_United_S…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.