Laura Wray-Lake writes on a study showing polarization in teenagers during Trump’s first term and how it may compare in his second term.
Laura Wray-Lake
I am a Professor of Social Welfare in the Luskin School of Public Affairs at University of California, Los Angeles. I received a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from the Pennsylvania State University, after receiving a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Wake Forest University and a master's degree in psychology from Bucknell University. My expertise is in adolescent development and civic engagement. My research aims to explain the development of civic engagement across adolescence and young adulthood and identify factors that enhance youth civic engagement. This interest is grounded in the assumption that adolescents and young adults hold abundant potential to act as positive change agents and address society’s problems on local, national, and global scales. I have written and contributed to nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on various topics including young people’s community service, political action and activism, identity, decision-making, school and community experiences, and anti-racism. My research has advanced knowledge of youth civic engagement over time and across social and cultural contexts using quantitative and qualitative methods. My work has been funded by federal agencies and foundations, and my new book, published with Cambridge Press, is called Young Black Changemakers and the Road to Racial Justice.