Public Opinion.
This book offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary examination of how public opinion is formed and charged, as well as how it affects democratic society.
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| Author / Creator: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors / Creators: | Herbst, Susan. Lindeman, Mark. O'Keefe, Garrett J. Shapiro, Robert Y. |
| Format: | eBook Electronic |
| Language: | English |
| Edition: | 3rd ed. |
| Imprint: | New York : Taylor & Francis Group, 2015. |
| Subjects: | |
| Local Note: | Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2022. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries. |
| Online Access: | Click to View |
Table of Contents:
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Table of Contents
- List of Illustrations and Boxes
- Preface
- PART ONE: INTRODUCING PUBLIC OPINION
- 1 The Meanings of Public Opinion
- Why Study Public Opinion?
- The Meaning of Public Opinion
- Dimensions of Public Opinion
- Which Meaning of Public Opinion Is Best?
- 2 The History of Public Opinion
- Why Does History Matter?
- Pre-Enlightenment Philosophies of Public Opinion
- Public Opinion in the Age of Revolution
- Public Opinion Theories: The Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
- The Social History of Public Opinion: Expression and Measurement
- Pre-nineteenth-century Opinion Communication Techniques
- 3 Methods for Studying Public Opinion
- Survey Research: Aggregating Individual Opinions
- Focus Groups: Using Group Dynamics to Measure Public Opinion
- Experimental Methods and Opinion Research
- Content Analysis of Mass Media: "Archives" of Public Opinion
- Conclusion
- PART TWO: THEORIES OF PUBLIC OPINION
- 4 Public Opinion and Democratic Theory
- Why Theories?
- Meanings and Mechanisms of Democracy
- Normative Theories of Democracy and the Problem of Democratic Competence
- Empirical Theories of Public Opinion and Policy
- Elements of Democratic Competence
- Conclusion
- 5 Psychological Perspectives on Public Opinion
- Speaking the Language: Beliefs, Values, Attitudes, and Opinions
- Early Theories of Attitude Formation and Change: The Legacies of Behaviorism
- Cognitive Processing: What Happens When People Think
- Consistency and Judgmental Theories: Attitudes Come in Packages
- Motivational Theories: Same Attitude, Different Reason
- Links Between Attitudes and Behavior: What People Think and What They Do
- Emotions and Attitudes
- Conclusion
- 6 Stereotyping, Social Norms, and Public Opinion
- Attribution Theory
- Stereotyping.
- Social Norms
- Sociological Accounts of Opinion: Traces of In-Group Conformity?
- Conclusion
- 7 Perception and Opinion Formation
- The Limits of Perception
- Perception and Opinion: Socialization and Social Comparison
- Perception and Public Opinion Formation
- Public Opinion as a Social Process
- Conclusion and Implications for the Future
- 8 Economic Approaches
- Induction and Deduction
- Economic Explanations and Rational Choice Perspectives
- Rational Choice and Psychology
- Conclusion
- PART THREE: PUBLIC OPINION IN CONTEXT
- 9 Content and Conflict in Public Opinion
- The Public's Level of Political Knowledge
- American Public Opinion: Consensus and Contestation
- Understanding American Attitudes about Race
- Conclusion
- 10 Public Opinion and Policymaking
- Constraint, Impulsion, or Irrelevance?
- Testing Policy Responsiveness
- Changes and Variations in Responsiveness to Public Opinion
- Is Government Responsiveness to Public Opinion Democratic?
- Conclusion
- 11 Mass Media, Campaigning, and the Public
- Communication, Mass Media, and Public Opinion: Early Development and Perspectives
- Who Decides What the Media Present?
- The Effects of Mass Media on Public Opinion
- Reconsiderations of Media Effects
- Campaigning and Opinion Change
- Election Campaigns
- Conclusion: How Well Do the Media Serve Public Opinion?
- 12 Looking Ahead
- Index.