I am a social scientist interested in the potential of communication to both advance and obstruct an accessible public sphere, especially against a backdrop of societal division and global challenges such as climate change and food security. In my research, I employ various methods, such as experiments, surveys and content analyses to study the content, effects and public perceptions of (controversial) political communication.
At present, I am an assistant professor at the Strategic Communication Group of Wageningen University & Research, where I teach courses at both the bachelor and master level, for instance on communication and polarization. I am moreover part of the Data-Driven Democracy Lab, serve on the steering committee of the Political Communication division of the Netherlands-Flanders Communication Association (NeFCA), and am an associate editor of Politics of the Low Countries (PLC).
In December 2023, I obtained my PhD from the University of Leuven, during which I spent six months as a visiting researcher at ASCoR and the Hot Politics Lab (University of Amsterdam). My PhD dissertation, entitled On Silver Tongues and Silver Linings: Examining controversial political communication and its effects on citizens’ reasoning, was awarded the Els Witte Annual Political Science Prize by the Dutch Political Science Association (NKWP) and Flemish Political Science Association (VPW). I hold a masters degree in Communication and Information Studies from the University of Amsterdam and a bachelors degree in Dutch Language and Culture from Radboud University Nijmegen.
Research
Dissertation
Emma Turkenburg (2023) On Silver Tongues and Silver Linings - Examining controversial political communication and its effects on citizens' reasoning. PhD Dissertation, KU Leuven.
Emma Turkenburg (2025) The Separate and combined effects of (in)accessible and (un)sophisticated political communication on citizens’ reasoning and attitudes toward politicians. Human Communication Research. DOI
Lisa Jansen & Emma Turkenburg (2024) Breaking free from linear assumptions: Unraveling the relationship between affective polarization and democratic support. European Journal of Political Research. DOI
Emma Turkenburg, Ine Goovaerts & Sofie Marien. Different standards: Observing variation in citizens’ norms for mediated political communication. Accepted for publication in Public Opinion Quarterly.
Jonas Lefevere, Ine Goovaerts & Emma Turkenburg (2023) Changing the subject: An analysis of candidates' issue emphasis in televised election debates, 1985-2019. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. DOI
Luana Russo, Emma Turkenburg, Eelco Harteveld & Anna Heckhausen (2023) This is not US: Measuring Polarization in Multiparty Systems A quasi-replication study. Italian Journal of Electoral Studies (IJES). DOI
Lisa van Dijk, Emma Turkenburg & James Pow. (2023) The perceived legitimacy of deliberative minipublics: Taking the perspective of polarized citizens. European Political Science Review. DOI
Ine Goovaerts & Emma Turkenburg. (2022). How Contextual Features Shape Incivility Over Time: An Analysis of the Evolution and Determinants of Political Incivility in Televised Election Debates (1985–2019). Communication Research. DOI
Emma Turkenburg (2022). Televised Election Debates in a Deliberative System - The Role of Framing and Emotions. Democratic Theory. DOI
Emma Turkenburg & Ine Goovaerts (2022). Food for Thought: A Longitudinal Investigation of Reflection-Promoting Speech in Televised Election Debates (1985–2019). Political Studies. DOI
Patrick Van Erkel & Emma Turkenburg (2022). Delving into the divide: How ideological differences fuel out-party hostility in a multi-party context. European Political Science Review. DOI
Peer-reviewed journal publications
Patrick Van Erkel & Emma Turkenburg (2020) Andere standpunten, andere stemmen, ander sentiment? Affectieve polarisatie in de Belgische verkiezingen van 2019. In: Pilet, J.B., Baudewyns, P., Deschouwer, K., Kern, A., & Lefevere, J. (Eds.), De Belgen verheffen hun stem. Een analyse van het stemgedrag op 26 mei 2019. (book chapter published in Dutch and French)
Sofie Marien, Dieter Stiers, Emma Turkenburg & Wouter Vanbroekhoven (2019). Voorspelbaar voorspelbaar. Sterke kopstukken kunnen de algemene trend van hun partij zelden echt omkeren. Samenleving & Politiek.
Wilbert Spooren, Lettica Hustinx, Jochem Aben & Emma Turkenburg (2015). Concreetheid onder de loep. In M. Boogaard, B. van den Bogaerde, S. Bacchini, M. Curcic, N. de Jong, E. le Pichon, & L. Rasier (Eds.), Artikelen van de 8e Anéla Conferentie Toegepaste Taalwetenschap 2015
Book chapters and other publications
Emma Turkenburg & Patrick Van Erkel. Ideology and Affective Polarization. In Torcal, M. & Harteveld, . (Eds.) Handbook of Affective Polarization. OSF.
Emma Turkenburg. From rudeness to reflection? Political incivility increases attention but does not lead to more reflective reasoning.
Edwin Jans, Emma Turkenburg, Sanne Kruikemeier & Rens Vliegenthart. Dynamics & Drivers: Affective Polarization and the Influence of Determination of Vote
Selection of work in progress
Strategic Communication Group | Wageningen University & Research
De Leeuwenborch - Room 4043
Hollandseweg 1
6706KN Wageningen