Hard choices, easy answers : values, information, and American public opinion
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Hard choices, easy answers : values, information, and American public opinion
（Princeton paperbacks）
Princeton University Press, c2002
- : pbk
- : hbk
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [233]-241) and index
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
-
: hbk ISBN 9780691089188
Description
Those who seek to accurately gauge public opinion must first ask themselves: why are certain opinions highly volatile while others are relatively fixed? Why are some surveys affected by question wording or communicative medium while others seem immune? In this text, R. Michael Alvarez and John Brehm develop a theory of response variability that, by reconciling the strengths and weaknesses of the standard approaches, should help pollsters and scholars alike better resolve such perennial problems. Working within the context of US public opinion, they contend that the answers Americans give rest on a variegated structure of political predispositions - diverse but widely shared values, beliefs, expectations and evaluations. Alvarez and Brehm argue that respondents deploy what they know about politics (often little) to think in terms of what they value and believe. Working with sophisticated statistical models, they offer an analysis of not just what a respondent is likely to choose, but also how variable those choices would be under differing circumstances.
American public opinion can be characterized in one of three forms of variability, conclude the authors: ambivalence, equivocation
Table of Contents
List of Figures vii List of Tables xi Acknowledgments xiii Chapter 1: A Fickle Public? 1 PART 1 :THEORY AND METHODS 13 Chapter 2: Predispositions 15 Chapter 3: Why Does Political Information Matter? 27 Chapter 4: Ambivalence, Uncertainty, and Equivocation 52 PART 2: MASS PUBLIC OPINION 65 Chapter 5: Ambivalent Attitudes: Abortion and Euthanasia 67 Chapter 6: Uncertainty and Racial Attitudes 100 Chapter 7: Equivocation 125 PART 3 : MASSES AND ELITES 149 Chapter 8: Mass Opinion and Representation 151 Chapter 9: Do Elites Experience Ambivalence Where Masses Do Not? 194 Chapter 10: Politics, Psychology, and the Survey Response 216 Notes 225 References 233 Index 243
- Volume
-
: pbk ISBN 9780691096353
Description
Those who seek to accurately gauge public opinion must first ask themselves: Why are certain opinions highly volatile while others are relatively fixed? Why are some surveys affected by question wording or communicative medium (e.g., telephone) while others seem immune? In Hard Choices, Easy Answers, R. Michael Alvarez and John Brehm develop a new theory of response variability that, by reconciling the strengths and weaknesses of the standard approaches, will help pollsters and scholars alike better resolve such perennial problems. Working within the context of U.S. public opinion, they contend that the answers Americans give rest on a variegated structure of political predispositions--diverse but widely shared values, beliefs, expectations, and evaluations. Alvarez and Brehm argue that respondents deploy what they know about politics (often little) to think in terms of what they value and believe. Working with sophisticated statistical models, they offer a unique analysis of not just what a respondent is likely to choose, but also how variable those choices would be under differing circumstances.
American public opinion can be characterized in one of three forms of variability, conclude the authors: ambivalence, equivocation, and uncertainty. Respondents are sometimes ambivalent, as in attitudes toward abortion or euthanasia. They are often equivocal, as in views about the scope of government. But most often, they are uncertain, sure of what they value, but unsure how to use those values in political choices.
Table of Contents
List of Figures vii List of Tables xi Acknowledgments xiii Chapter 1: A Fickle Public? 1 PART 1 :THEORY AND METHODS 13 Chapter 2: Predispositions 15 Chapter 3: Why Does Political Information Matter? 27 Chapter 4: Ambivalence, Uncertainty, and Equivocation 52 PART 2: MASS PUBLIC OPINION 65 Chapter 5: Ambivalent Attitudes: Abortion and Euthanasia 67 Chapter 6: Uncertainty and Racial Attitudes 100 Chapter 7: Equivocation 125 PART 3 : MASSES AND ELITES 149 Chapter 8: Mass Opinion and Representation 151 Chapter 9: Do Elites Experience Ambivalence Where Masses Do Not? 194 Chapter 10: Politics, Psychology, and the Survey Response 216 Notes 225 References 233 Index 243
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