Mara Ostfeld

Dr. Mara Cecilia Ostfeld is the research director at the Center for Racial Justice and a research associate professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She also serves as a faculty lead of the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study—an ongoing, representative survey of Detroit households that captures residents’ expectations, perceptions, priorities, and aspirations.

An expert in survey research and the analysis of public opinion, Dr. Ostfeld’s work focuses on the psychology of political attitudes. Her research has been published in leading journals including Social Forces, Political Behavior, Political Psychology, and Political Communication, and supported by institutions such as the National Science Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation.

She is the principal investigator of the Puerto Rico Public Opinion Lab—led in collaboration with Mayra Vélez Serrano and Luis Cámara Fuertes at the University of Puerto Rico—which is implementing the first large-scale, representative study of political attitudes across Puerto Rico.

During national elections, Dr. Ostfeld also serves as a political analyst for NBC and Telemundo.

Educational background

• PhD in political science, University of Pennsylvania
• MA in political science, University of Pennsylvania
• MPP, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
• BA in social work, Rutgers University

Professional affiliations

• American Political Science Association
• Midwest Political Science Association

Recent publications

• “When Protests Become Violent: The Racialization of News Media Coverage of Protest Activity.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. 2023. (With LaGina Gause and Steven Moore)
• "Measuring Color: The Role of Physics, History, Identity and Politics in How We Understand Our Skin Color." In The Oxford Handbook of Methodological Pluralism in Political Science. Oxford University Press. 2023. (with Nicole Yadon)
• Skin Color, Power and Politics in America. Russell Sage Foundation Press. 2022. (with Nicole Yadon)
• “¿Mejorando La Raza?: Skin Color and Latinx Political Preferences.” Social Forces. 2021. (with Nicole Yadon)
• “The Face of American Government: Effects of Minorities in High Office on Minority Trust in Government.” Political Behavior. 2021. (with Diana Mutz)
• “Shades of Privilege: The Relationship Between Skin Color and Political Attitudes Among White Americans.” Political Behavior. 2020. (with Nicoel Yadon)
• “The New White Flight: Democratic Appeals to Latinos and White Support for the Democratic Party.” Political Behavior. 2019.