American Public Opinion : Its Origin, Contents, and Impact

by Erikson, Robert S.; Tedin, Kent L.

• ISBN13: 9780321107534
• ISBN10: 0321107535
• Edition: 7th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-01-01
• Publisher: Longman

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	ix
Credits for Figures and Tables	xiii
Preface	xvii
Public Opinion in Democratic Societies	1	(22)
Public Opinion and Government	1	(4)
Public Opinion Defined	5	(2)
The Evolution of the Public Opinion Poll	7	(4)
The Modern Public Opinion Poll and Its Political Consequences	11	(3)
Sources of Information on Public Opinion	14	(3)
Linkage Models between Public Opinion and Public Policies	17	(3)
Plan of this Book	20	(3)
Polling: The Scientific Assessment of Public Opinion	23	(30)
The Value of Polls	23	(2)
Sampling	25	(10)
Question Wording	35	(4)
The Misuse of Surveys	39	(3)
Polls and Predicting Elections	42	(6)
Conclusion	48	(5)
Microlevel Opinion: The Psychology of Opinion-Holding	53	(32)
Political Attention and Opinion-Holding	55	(11)
Liberal-Conservative Ideology and the Organization of Opinions	66	(11)
Party Identification and the Organization of Political Opinions	77	(8)
Macrolevel Opinion: The Flow of Political Sentiment	85	(31)
Trends in Policy Opinions	86	(17)
General Ideological Movement	103	(1)
General Partisan Movement	104	(4)
Presidential Approval	108	(6)
Conclusion: What Moves Public Opinion?	114	(2)
Political Socialization and Political Learning	116	(32)
The Preadult Years: Socialization to Citizenship	117	(6)
The Agents of Preadult Socialization	123	(12)
Socialization During Adulthood	135	(8)
The Persistence of Political Orientations	143	(1)
Conclusion	144	(4)
Public Opinion and Democratic Stability	148	(29)
Support for Democratic Values	149	(11)
Political Consensus	160	(2)
Political Support: Trust and Efficacy	162	(7)
Personality and Public Opinion	169	(5)
Conclusion	174	(3)
Group Differences in Political Opinions	177	(36)
Socioeconomic Class and Political Opinions	177	(10)
Race and Political Opinions	187	(4)
Age and Political Opinions	191	(4)
Religion and Political Opinions	195	(7)
Geography and Political Opinions	202	(4)
Gender and Political Opinions	206	(4)
Conclusion	210	(3)
The News Media and Political Opinions	213	(33)
The Evolution of the American Media	214	(6)
Bias and Negativity in the News	220	(7)
Models of Media Effects	227	(7)
Media Content and Political Opinions	234	(3)
The News Source and Comprehension	237	(3)
An Informed Electorate? Television News and Campaign Ads	240	(3)
Conclusion	243	(3)
Elections as Instruments of Popular Control	246	(28)
Political Campaigns and the Voter	247	(6)
Policy Issues and Voters	253	(10)
Explaining Election Outcomes	263	(7)
Conclusion	270	(4)
The Public and Its Elected Leaders	274	(27)
Opinion Sharing Between Policymakers and the Public	275	(2)
Political Parties and Representation	277	(9)
Leadership Responsiveness to Public Opinion	286	(7)
Do Elected Officials Need to Follow Public Opinion?	293	(4)
Interest Groups and Democratic Representation	297	(3)
Conclusion	300	(1)
Public Opinion and the Performance of Democracy	301	(14)
Assessing the Impact of Public Opinion on Policy	302	(6)
Interpreting the Public's Role in Democracy	308	(3)
The Expansion of Political Participation	311	(4)
Appendix	315	(6)
References	321	(30)
Index	351