David Wiltse Profile Photo in Japantown, San Francisco

David Wiltse

Professor of Political Science

Biography

Dr. David Wiltse is a professor of political science in the School of American and Global Studies, and director of The South Dakota Polling Project. Wiltse earned his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, his M.A. from Cal State Fullerton and his B.A. at Montana State University. Prior to SDSU, he was an assistant professor at Briar Cliff University and Dr. Lecturer at Hacettepe University in Ankara Turkey. His research focuses on public health - particularly vaccine hesitancy, parties, elections and campaign finance.

Alongside his research partner, Dr. Filip Viskupič, Wiltse launched The SDSU Poll in 2020 (now known as The South Dakota Polling Project). This has provided a wealth of data for numerous projects that have been published in political science, public health, sociology, psychology, pharmacy, biology and medical journals with numerous collaborators across several disciplines.

Education

  • B.A. | Montana State University | 1993
  • M.A. | California State University Fullerton | 1996
  • Ph.D. | University of Massachusetts Amherst | 2006

Academic and Professional Experience

Academic Interests
Academic Interests
  • Public health
  • COVID-19 attitudes and mitigation behaviors
  • American politics
  • Political parties
  • Elections
  • Campaign finance
Work Experience
  • 2024-present, professor, South Dakota State University
  • 2019-2024, associate professor, South Dakota State University
  • 2013-2019, assistant professor, South Dakota State University
  • 2010-2013, assistant professor, Briar Cliff University
  • 2012, visiting assistant professor, TOBB Economic and Technical University-Ankara, Turkey
  • 2006-2010, doctor lecturer, Hacettepe University- Ankara, Turkey
Expertise

Research and Scholarly Work

Areas of Research
  • Director of The South Dakota Polling Project
Awards and Honors
  • 2022 Award for Outstanding Researcher of the Year in Social Science - CAHSS
  • 2020 Sewrey Faculty Colloquium on Research - lecturer
Publications
  1. “Stress, Sleep Quality and Disagreements Over COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors.” Forthcoming at: Psychological Reports (with Filip Viskupič and Abdallah Badahdah).
  2. “Pocketbook versus Identity? Farmers’ Attitudes towards International Trade." Forthcoming at: Social Science Journal (with Filip Viskupič and Evren Celik Wiltse).
  3. “Beyond Vaccination: Messaging from Religious Leaders Can Help Increase Adherence to COVID-19 Mitigation Guidelines Following Vaccination.” Forthcoming at: Social Science Journal (with Brittney Meyer and Filip Viskupič). 
  4. “Attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination status disclosure in the provider-patient relationship: Findings from a population survey.” Forthcoming at World Medical and Health Policy (with Filip Viskupič and Abdallah Badahdah).
  5. “Predictors of Older Adults’ Attitudes toward Various COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates.” Journal of Aging and Social Policy (with Filip Viskupič).
  6. “The relationship between COVID-19 vaccination, partisan self-identification, and flu vaccine uptake: A structural equation modeling approach.” 2024. Journal of Medicine, Surgery and Public Health: 100069 (with Filip Viskupič and Gemechis Djira). 
  7. “An experimental study on how messaging from CDC affects attitudes toward mandatory MMR vaccination for schoolchildren.” 2024. Journal of Community Health (with Filip Viskupič).
  8. "Psychological entitlement predicts support for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination.” 2024. Journal of Medicine, Surgery and Public Health 2:100043 (with Filip Viskupič).
  9. “The rise of anti-vaccination legislature in two Midwestern states: Implications for politics, policy and society.” 2023. Open Health 4 (1): 20230020 (with Filip Viskupič and Zachary Liebl (undergraduate research assistant)).
  10. “Message framing, partisanship and popular support for COVID-19 vaccine mandate: Evidence from a preregistered survey experiment.” 2023. Open Health 4 (1): 20230013 (with Filip Viskupič).
  11. “Age and partisan self-identification predict uptake of additional COVID-19 booster doses: Evidence from a longitudinal study.” 2023. Preventive Medicine Reports 36: 102407 (with Filip Viskupič).
  12. “Attitudes toward annual COVID-19 boosters are highly structured by partisan self-identification and trust in government: Evidence from a longitudinal survey.” 2023. Vaccine X 14: 100337 (with Filip Viskupič).
  13. “Partisan self-identification predicts attitudes of nurses toward the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.” 2023. Health Policy and Technology 12 (3): 100777 (with Filip Viskupič).
  14. “Older workers’ work attitudes and behaviors during COVID-19 Pandemic: A mediational model.” 2023. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health 38 (3): 254-273 (with Alper Kayaalp, Lisa Sublett and Filip Viskupič).
  15. “Drivers of COVID-19 ‘Booster Hesitancy’ Among Nurses.” 2023. American Journal of Infection Control 51 (8): 896 – 899 (with Filip Viskupič).
  16. "COVID-19 parental vaccine hesitancy among nurses." 2023. Journal of Community Health 48, 245-251 (with Filip Viskupič).
  17. “Attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccine mandate: The role of psychological characteristics and partisan self-identification.” 2023. Personality and Individual Differences 206: 112119 (with Filip Viskupič and Alper Kayaalp).
  18. “Political Partisanship and Trust in Government Predict Popular Support for COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Various Professions and Demographic Groups: A research note.” 2023. American Politics Research 51(2), 139-146 (with Filip Viskupič).
  19. “Trust in physicians predicts COVID-19 vaccine booster hesitancy among older adults.” 2023. Journal of Aging and Health Research 3 (1): 100127 (with Filip Viskupič).
  20. “Reminders of Existing Vaccine Mandates Increase Support for a COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate: Evidence from a Survey Experiment.” 2022. Vaccine 40 (51): 7483-7487 (with Filip Viskupič and Abdallah Badahdah).
  21. “Trust in Physicians and Trust in Government Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake.” 2022. Social Science Quarterly. 103 (3): 509-520 (with Brittney Meyer and Filip Viskupič). 
  22. “The Messenger Matters: Religious Leaders and Overcoming COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy.” 2022. PS: Political Science and Politics. 55 (3): 504-509 (with Filip Viskupič).
  23. “Pharmacology Focus: Understanding and Overcoming COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in South Dakota.” 2022. South Dakota Medicine. 75 (3): 139-140 (with Brittney Meyer and Filip Viskupič).
  24. “Pharmacists to Partner with Religious Leaders to Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy Among Christians.” 2022. Journal of the American Pharmacist Association. 62 (1): 302-304. (with Brittney Meyer and Filip Viskupič).
  25. “Typologies of Party Finance Systems: A Comparative Study of How Countries Regulate Party Finance and Their Institutional Foundations.” 2019. Election Law Journal. 18 (3): 243-261 (with Raymond J. La Raja and Dorie Apollonio).
  26. “Making it Visible: Presidential Endorsement Decisions of Members of Congress in the Invisible Primary, 1996-2016.” 2019. The New England Journal of Political Science. 11 (1): 51-87.
  27. “Subsidizing Equality: Female Candidate Emergence and Clean Elections.” 2018. Election Law Journal. 17 (2): 85-99.
  28. “Money that Draws No Interest: Public Financing of Legislative Elections and Candidate Emergence.” 2015. Election Law Journal. 14 (4): 392-410 (with Raymond R. La Raja).
  29. “Don’t Blame Donors for Ideological Polarization of Political Parties: Ideological Change and Stability Among Political Contributors, 1972-2008.” 2012. American Politics Research 40 (3): 499-528 (with Raymond J. La Raja).
  30. “The Congressional Elections of 2010 and Turkish Interests in the Congress.” 2011. Insight Turkey 13 (1): 27-36.
Mailing Address:
Lincoln Hall 327
School of American & Global Studies-Box 2212
University Station
Brookings, SD 57007
Office Location:
Lincoln Hall
Room 327
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Associated Areas
Students seated at classroom tables during a lecture in Lincoln Hall
School of American and Global Studies
Political Science Students Discussion
The South Dakota Polling Project