The Rational Public

by Page, Benjamin I.; Shapiro, Robert Y.

• ISBN13: 9780226644776
• ISBN10: 0226644774
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1992-02-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

This monumental study is a comprehensive critical survey of the policy preferences of the American public, and will be the definitive work on American public opinion for some time to come. Drawing on an enormous body of public opinion data, Benjamin I. Page and Robert Y. Shapiro provide the richest available portrait of the political views of Americans, from the 1930's to 1990. They not only cover all types of domestic and foreign policy issues, but also consider how opinions vary by age, gender, race, region, and the like. The authors unequivocally demonstrate that, notwithstanding fluctuations in the opinions of individuals, collectivepublic opinion is remarkably coherent: it reflects a stable system of values shared by the majority of Americans and it responds sensitively to new events, arguments, and information reported in the mass media. While documenting some alarming case of manipulation, Page and Shapiro solidly establish the soundness and value of collective political opinion.The Rational Public provides a wealth of information about what we as a nation have wanted from government, how we have changed our minds over the years, and why. For anyone interested in the short- and long-term trends in Americans' policy preferences, or eager to learn what Americans have thought about issues ranging from racial equality to the MX missile, welfare to abortion, this book offers by far the most sophisticated and detailed treatment available.

Author Biography

Benjamin I. Page, the Gordon Scott Fulcher Professor of Decision Making at Northwestern University, is the author of several books, including Who Gets What From Government. Robert Y. Shapiro is associate professor of political science at Columbia University.

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures Preface

Rational Public Opinion

The Myth of Capricious Change

Opinions about Social Issues

Economic Welfare

Foreign Policy: World War II and the Cold War

Vietnam, Détente, and the New Cold War

Parallel Publics

The Causes of Collective Opinion Change

Education and Manipulation of Public Opinion

Democracy, Information, and the Rational Public

Appendix to Figures

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.