Students studying civility in politics witness collapse of Iowa caucuses

TAMPA, Fla. - A University of South Florida political research team's trip to the Iowa caucuses was an interesting one.

"When the visitors from Florida are suddenly being looked at as - 'What did you do to our caucus?'- I think it conjures images of hanging chads," laughs Prof. Josh Scacco, who led a team of students to observe the caucus in Ames, Iowa.

They were collecting data on voters' feelings about civility, or the lack thereof, in politics.

"We really analyzed what the candidates were saying and how they said it," says Eduardo Fox-Velazquez, a 19-year-old political science major.

They hope to answer questions about how Republicans and Democrats approach politics, in terms of civility, and the possible role social media plays.

"There's pressure to stand out and a pressure to be bombastic and get attention," says Fox-Velazquez. "It’s what they saw when newspapers first came out with yellow journalism."

His theory is that a lack of perceived incivility in politics is not new, this is just a new wave.

Researchers from USF and two other universities interviewed more than 200 voters during the Iowa caucuses. The data will be used by students in papers and articles.

Scacco collected material for a book he's writing on presidential communication.