A professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, Jackson's research focuses on the influence of celebrities on U.S. politics.
[5] His second book, Classrooms and Barrooms, the result of a Fulbright fellowship for teaching at the University of Łódź, explored perceptions of working class Poles of themselves and the United States.
[8] However, when applied to U.S. elections, later research by Jackson found that many celebrity endorsements can have a net negative effect.
"[10] Summarizing this research in a 2016 Plain Dealer op-ed, Jackson wrote that "celebrities can be just as divisive as anyone else engaged in the political process today.
[15][16] Axios and Variety have cited Jackson's research in reporting on celebrity pursuit of elected office, including Caitlyn Jenner's run for California governor, Matthew McConaughey's consideration of a run for governor of Texas and Kanye West's discussion of a presidential bid.