The Sage Handbook of Public Opinion Research

by Wolfgang Donsbach

• ISBN13: 9781412911771
• ISBN10: 141291177X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-12-27
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd

Summary

Public opinion theory and research are becoming increasingly significant in modern societies as people's attitudes and behaviours become ever more volatile and opinion poll data becomes ever more readily available. This major new Handbook is the first to bring together into one volume the whole field of public opinion theory, research methodology, and the political and social embeddedness of polls in modern societies. It comprehensively maps out the state-of-the-art in contemporary scholarship on these topics. With over fifty chapters written by distinguished international researchers, both academic and from the commercial sector, this Handbook is designed to: " give the reader an overview of the most important concepts included in and surrounding the term 'public opinion' and its application in modern social research " present the basic empirical concepts for assessing public opinion and opinion changes in society " provide an overview of the social, political and legal status of public opinion research, how it is perceived by the public and by journalists, and how it is used by governments " offer a review of the role and use of surveys for selected special fields of application, ranging from their use in legal cases to the use of polls in marketing and campaigns. The Handbook of Public Opinion Research provides an indispensable resource for both practitioners and students alike.

Table of Contents

Notes on Contributors	p. x
Introduction	p. 1
History, Philosophy of Public Opinion and Public Opinion Research	p. 7
The Nature of Public Opinion	p. 9
The Public and Public Opinion in Political Theories	p. 11
The Deliberating Public and Deliberative Polls	p. 25
The News as a Reflection of Public Opinion	p. 34
Advocacy: Alternative Expressions of Public Opinion	p. 41
Studying Elite vs Mass Opinion	p. 53
The Internet as a New Platform for Expressing Opinions and as a New Public Sphere	p. 64
Popular Communication and Public Opinion	p. 73
The Development of Public Opinion Research	p. 81
The Historical Roots of Public Opinion Research	p. 83
Mass-Observation and Modern Public Opinion Research	p. 93
The Start of Modern Public Opinion Research	p. 104
Public Opinion Research in Emerging Democracies	p. 113
Theories of Public Opinion Formation and Change	p. 123
Formation of Opinion	p. 125
Knowledge and Attitudes	p. 127
Conceptions of Attitudes and Opinions	p. 141
Theories on the Perception of Social Reality	p. 155
Pluralistic Ignorance and Nonattitudes	p. 164
Dynamics of Public Opinion	p. 173
Spiral of Silence Theory	p. 175
Public Opinion and the Third-Person Effect	p. 184
Effects of the News Media on Public Opinion	p. 192
Agenda-Setting, Framing and Priming	p. 205
Methodology	p. 219
The Design of Surveys	p. 221
The Methodological Strengths and Weaknesses of Survey Research	p. 223
The Uses and Misuses of Polls	p. 232
Face-to-Face Surveys	p. 240
Surveys by Telephone	p. 249
Self-Administered Paper Questionnaires	p. 262
Internet Surveys	p. 271
Different Survey Modes and International Comparisons	p. 284
Sampling	p. 294
Survey Non-Response	p. 309
Split Ballots as an Experimental Approach to Public Opinion Research	p. 322
Panel Surveys	p. 330
Focus Groups and Public Opinion	p. 340
Content Analyses and Public Opinion Research	p. 348
Measurement of Public Opinion	p. 359
Designing Reliable and Valid Questionnaires	p. 361
The Psychology of Survey Response	p. 374
The Use of Scales in Surveys	p. 388
The Use of Visual Materials in Surveys	p. 398
Validation Studies	p. 408
Identifying Value Clusters in Societies	p. 417
The Social and Political Environment of Public Opinion Research	p. 427
The Status of Public Opinion Research	p. 429
The Legal Status of Public Opinion Research in the World	p. 431
Attitudes of the Public Toward Public Opinion Research and Polling	p. 441
Attitudes of Journalists Toward Public Opinion Research	p. 451
Codes of Ethics and Standards in Survey Research	p. 459
Archiving Poll Data	p. 468
Uses and Effects of Public Opinion Research	p. 477
The News Media's Use of Opinion Polls	p. 479
The Use of Surveys by Governments and Politicians	p. 487
The Use of Public Opinion Research in Propaganda	p. 496
The Effects of Published Polls on Citizens	p. 504
Special Fields of Application	p. 515
The Use of Surveys as Legal Evidence	p. 517
Public Opinion and the Economy	p. 526
Marketing Research	p. 534
Social Indicators and the Quality of Life	p. 545
Assessing Long-Term Value Changes in Societies	p. 556
Exit Polls and Pre-Election Polls	p. 570
International Comparative Surveys: Their Purpose, Content and Methodological Challenges	p. 580
The Use of Voter Research in Campaigns	p. 594
Index	p. 603
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