Professor

About

Biography

Kyle L. Saunders is Professor of Political Science at Colorado State University. Saunders also serves as the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative for the institution.

Professor Saunders' studies and interests include American politics, with particular emphases on political parties, political behavior, public opinion, elections, public policy, and research methodology.

Saunders' research can be found in some of the field's best peer-reviewed journals including the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly and Comparative Political Studies, as well as in many other outlets.

Saunders' Google Scholar profile can be found here at this link: GOOGLE SCHOLAR.

Publications

Publications 2023-2026:

  • Fitz, Erin B. and Kyle L. Saunders. 2026. “Who Considers, Who Owns? Multi-Study Evidence on the Behavioral
    Process of Cryptocurrency Adoption in the United States.” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,
    Volume 92, June 2026, 104759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.104759
  • Fitz, Erin B. and Kyle L. Saunders. 2026. “Ideological Asymmetries of Trust in Elections and Non-Voting Political
    Participation.” Party Politics. https://doi.org/10.1177/13540688261421087
  • Fitz, Erin B., Dominik A. Stecuła, Matthew P. Hitt, and Kyle L. Saunders. 2025. “Mindset to Gain? Framing Effects,
    Need for Chaos, and the Limits of ‘Burning It All Down.’” Behavioural Public Policy.
    https://doi.org/10.1017/bpp.2025.100
  • Miller, Joanne M., Christina E. Farhart, and Kyle L. Saunders. 2025. “Losers’ Conspiracy: Elections and
    Conspiracism.” Political Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-025-10063-1
  • Fitz, Erin B. and Kyle L. Saunders. 2024. “Distrusting the Process: Electoral Trust, Operational Ideology, and Non-
    Voting Political Participation in the 2020 American Electorate.” Public Opinion Quarterly.
    https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfae025
  • Fitz, Erin B., Dominik A. Stecuła, Matthew P. Hitt, and Kyle L. Saunders. 2024. “Objective Numeracy Exacerbates
    Framing Effects from Decision-Making Under Political Risk.” Scientific Reports, 14, 10473.
    https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-61099-y
  • Atkeson, Lonna R., Eli McKown-Dawson, Jack Santucci, and Kyle L. Saunders. 2024. “The Impact of Voter
    Confusion in Ranked Choice Voting.” Social Science Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.13366
  • Farhart, Christina E., Erin B. Fitz, Joanne M. Miller, and Kyle L. Saunders. 2023. “By Any Memes Necessary: Belief-
    and Chaos-Driven Motives for Sharing Conspiracy Theories on Social Media.” Research and Politics, 10:3, 1-9.
    https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680231193514
  • Miller, Joanne M., David A. M. Peterson, Kyle L. Saunders, Scott D. McClurg. 2023. “Putting the Political in Political
    Interest: The Conditional Effect of Politics on Citizens’ Interest in Politics.” American Politics Research, 51:4,
    510-524. https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X221139757
  • Enders, Adam, Christina Farhart, Joanne Miller, Joseph Uscinski, Kyle Saunders & Hugo Drochon. 2023.“Are
    Republicans and Conservatives More Likely to Believe Conspiracy Theories?” Political Behavior, 45: 2001-
    2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-022-09812-3

Courses

  • POLS 302–Parties and Elections in the US