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Public Opinion
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Public Opinion
Democratic Ideals, Democratic Practice

Third Edition
March 2016 | 480 pages | CQ Press
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In this revision of their lauded Public Opinion: Democratic Ideals, Democratic Practice, Rosalee A. Clawson and Zoe M. Oxley continue to link the enduring normative questions of democratic theory to the best empirical research on public opinion. Exploring the tension between ideals and their practice, each chapter focuses on exemplary studies so that students gain a richer understanding of key findings and the research process as well as see methods applied in context.  
 
Part I: What Should the Role of Citizens Be in a Democratic Society?
 
Chapter 1: Public Opinion in a Democracy
Theories of Democracy

 
What Is Public Opinion?

 
Defining Key Concepts

 
Empirical Assessments of Public Opinion

 
Themes of the Book

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Appendix: Studying Public Opinion Empirically
Public Opinion Surveys

 
Experiments

 
Interviews

 
Focus Groups

 
Content Analysis

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Part II: Are Citizens Pliable?
 
Chapter 2: Political Socialization
Childhood Socialization

 
Parental Transmission of Political Attitudes

 
Generational and Period Effects

 
Genetic Inheritance of Political Attitudes

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Chapter 3: Mass Media
What Should Citizens Expect from the Mass Media in a Democracy?

 
What General Characteristics of the Mass Media Shape News Coverage?

 
What Specific Characteristics of the Traditional News Media Shape the Reporting of Political Events?

 
Are Citizens Affected by the Mass Media?

 
Media Effects in a Changing Technological Environment

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Chapter 4: Attitude Stability and Attitude Change
Are Americans' Attitudes Stable?

 
Presidential Approval

 
Psychological Approaches to Attitudes

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Part III: Do Citizens Organize Their Political Thinking?
 
Chapter 5: Ideology, Partisanship, and Polarization
Converse's Claim: Ideological Innocence

 
Ideological Identification

 
Party Identification

 
Polarization

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Chapter 6: Pluralistic Roots of Public Opinion: Personality, Self-Interest, Values, and History
Personality

 
Self-Interest

 
Values

 
Historical Events

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Chapter 7: Pluralistic Roots of Public Opinion: The Central Role of Groups
Race and Public Opinion

 
Gender and Public Opinion

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Part IV: Do Citizens Endorse and Demonstrate Democratic Basics?
 
Chapter 8: Knowledge, Interest, and Attention to Politics
How Knowledgeable, Interested, and Attentive Should Citizens Be in a Democracy?

 
Are Citizens Knowledgeable about Politics?

 
Measuring Political Knowledge

 
Why Are Some Citizens More Knowledgeable than Others?

 
What Are the Consequences of Political Knowledge?

 
Are Citizens Interested in and Attentive to Politics?

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Chapter 9: Support for Civil Liberties
Are Americans Tolerant?

 
Sources of Tolerant Attitudes

 
Contextual Influences on Tolerance Judgments

 
Are Elites More Tolerant?

 
Civil Liberties Post-9/11

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Chapter 10: Support for Civil Rights
Public Opinion and Presidential Candidates

 
Support for Civil Rights Policies

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Part V: What Is the Relationship between Citizens and Their Government?
 
Chapter 11: Trust in Government, Support for Institutions, and Social Capital
Trust in Government

 
Support for Institutions

 
Social Capital

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Chapter 12: Impact of Public Opinion on Policy
Should Public Opinion Influence Policy?

 
Is Public Opinion Related to Policy?

 
Do Politicians Follow or Lead the Public?

 
Public Opinion and Foreign Policy

 
Conclusion

 
Key Concepts

 
Suggested Sources for Further Reading

 
 
Part VI: What Do We Make of Public Opinion in a Democracy?
 
Chapter 13: Conclusion
What Should the Role of Citizens Be in a Democratic Society?

 
Are Citizens Pliable?

 
Do Citizens Organize Their Political Thinking?

 
Do Citizens Endorse and Demonstrate Democratic Basics?

 
What Is the Relationship between Citizens and Their Government?

 
What Do We Make of Public Opinion in a Democracy?

 

“Clawson and Oxley’s book is impressive: it offers broad coverage of the relevant areas of interest, but places public opinion in the context of the broader democracy…I especially appreciate the coverage of political trust.”

Professor Andrea M. Quenette
University of Kansas

“I like that Public Opinion: Democratic Ideas, Democratic Practice helps my students think more deeply about the processes by which citizens learn about politics, the motivations behind their beliefs, and the biases they bring to political thinking.  It facilitates a more sophisticated understanding of citizens as political actors.”

Professor Erin C. Cassese, PhD
West Virginia University

“Clawson and Oxley’s Public Opinion: Democratic Ideals, Democratic Practice is smart, yet accessible to my students. I appreciate that its length and organization has allowed me to use it for both quarter and semester length courses”

Professor Gar Culbert, Ph.D.
California State University, Los Angeles

Rosalee A. Clawson

Rosalee A. Clawson is professor of political science at Purdue University. Her research focuses on public opinion, mass media and politics, political psychology, and the politics of race, class, and gender. Her work has been published in the American Political Science Review, Public Opinion Quarterly, Political Communication, Journal of Black Studies, and Global Environmental Change. She is the coauthor of Legacy and Legitimacy: Black Americans and the Supreme Court.   More About Author

Zoe M. Oxley

Zoe M. Oxley is professor of political science at Union College. Her research interests include the effects of the media on public opinion, gender and public opinion, women in electoral politics, and political psychology. Her work has been published in the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Politics & Gender, and PS: Political Science and Politics. More About Author

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ISBN: 9781506323312
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