Brianna Zichettella

Brianna Zichettella is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Michigan in the Department of Communication and Media. Her research focuses on political relationships and identity in the United States.



Her current work explores the measurement, formation, and potentially anti-democratic consequences of parasocial relationships with U.S. political figures.



She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Daemen University (Amherst, NY) and her master’s degree in communication from The Ohio State University.

Publications and Ongoing Research

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

  • Zichettella, B., Weeks, B., Hasell, A. (2024). The Blame Game: The Role of Media Environments and Political Discussion in Americans’ Attribution of Blame for Interparty Hostility. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 36(4). doi: 10.1093/ijpor/edae051
  • Chinn, C., Hasell, A., Roden, J., Zichettella, B. (2023). Threatening Experts: Correlates of Viewing Scientists as a Social Threat. Public Understanding of Science, 33(1). doi: 10.1177/09636625231183115
  • Hegland, A.*, Zhang, A. L.*, Zichettella, B.*, & Pasek, J. (2022). A Partisan Pandemic: How COVID-19 was Primed for Polarization. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 700(1), 55-72. doi: 10.1177/00027162221083686
    • * indicates equal contribution; graduate students listed alphabetically

Manuscripts in Preparation

  • Zichettella, B., Pasek, J., Jefferson, H., & Neuner, F. Diverging Public Attitudes on Racialized Topics: Can Anti-Bias Training Make a Difference?
  • Pasek, J., Zichettella, B., Neuner, F., & Jefferson, H. Reducing Racial Polarization in Perceptions of Police-Involved Shootings

Public-Facing Scholarship