Taylor Carlson, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of Graduate Studies, has received the 2026 American Association for Public Opinion Research Book (AAPOR) Book Award for What Goes Without Saying: Navigating Political Discussion in America, which Carlson co-authored with Jaime E. Settle, Cornelia Brackenridge Talbot Professor of Government at William & Mary.

In the book, Carlson and Settle investigate "how Americans navigate these discussions in their daily lives, with particular attention to the decision-making process around when and how to broach politics. The authors use a multi-methods approach to unpack what they call the 4D Framework of political conversation: identifying the ways that people detect others' views, decide whether to talk, discuss their opinions honestly—or not, and determine whether they will repeat the experience in the future. In developing a framework for studying and explaining political discussion as a social process, What Goes Without Saying will set the agenda for research in political science, psychology, communication, and sociology for decades to come." (from Cambridge University Press)

The AAPOR Book Award "seeks to recognize influential books that have stimulated theoretical and scientific research in public opinion and/or influenced our understanding or application of survey research methodology."

What Goes Without Saying: Navigating Political Discussion in America can be purchased from Cambridge University Press and learn more about the AAPOR and their awards on their website.