Part I: What Should the Role of Citizens Be in a Democratic Society?
Chapter 1: Public Opinion in a Democracy
Empirical Assessments of Public Opinion
Suggested Sources for Further Reading
Appendix: Studying Public Opinion Empirically
Suggested Sources for Further Reading
Part II: Are Citizens Pliable?
Chapter 2: Political Socialization
Parental Transmission of Political Attitudes
Generational and Period Effects
Genetic Inheritance of Political Attitudes
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
Suggested Sources for Further Reading
Chapter 4: Attitude Stability and Attitude Change
Are Americans' Attitudes Stable?
Psychological Approaches to Attitudes
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
Suggested Sources for Further Reading
Chapter 6: Pluralistic Roots of Public Opinion: Personality, Self-Interest, Values, and History
Suggested Sources for Further Reading
Chapter 7: Pluralistic Roots of Public Opinion: The Central Role of Groups
Gender and Public Opinion
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?
Suggested Sources for Further Reading
Chapter 9: Support for Civil Liberties
Sources of Tolerant Attitudes
Contextual Influences on Tolerance Judgments
Are Elites More Tolerant?
Civil Liberties Post-9/11
Suggested Sources for Further Reading
Chapter 10: Support for Civil Rights
Public Opinion and Presidential Candidates
Support for Civil Rights Policies
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
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
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?
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?