The UCLA graduate student who faked a landmark study — and changed the gay marriage debate

Michael LaCour was a PhD candidate in political science at UCLA. In December 2014, he published a study in Science titled 'When Contact Changes Minds' with co-author Donald Green of Columbia University. The study claimed that brief conversations with gay canvassers could durably change people's views on same-sex marriage, and that the effect spread within households. The findings were ranked in the top 5% of all research output by Altmetrics and made international headlines.

In May 2015, three graduate students — David Broockman, Joshua Kalla, and Peter Aronow — published a critique showing that the data had been completely fabricated. The survey company LaCour claimed to have used denied any involvement. No organization could be found that provided the funding required. The baseline data appeared to be copied from an earlier study. Later data appeared to be simulated by adding random noise. LaCour tried to retroactively claim the study had been pre-registered using falsified documents.

Science retracted the paper on May 28, 2015. Carnegie Corporation rescinded Green's $200,000 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. Princeton University rescinded an assistant professorship it had offered to LaCour. LaCour admitted to 'misrepresenting survey incentives and funding' but denied intentionally falsifying data. The case became a landmark in social science research fraud and led to widespread criticism of how prestigious journals handle high-impact studies.