{"product_id":"public-opinion-9781442261877","title":"Public Opinion","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe fifth edition of Public Opinion: Measuring the American Mind  provides a comprehensive, accessible introduction to public opinion in the United States and describes how public opinion data are collected, how they are used, and the role they play in the U.S. political system. Bardes and Oldendick introduce students to the history of polling and explain the factors a good consumer of polls should know in order to critically evaluate public opinion data. Public Opinion: Measuring the American Mind is the only text to devote significant space to the history of polling, the use of polling in America today, and to explain the methods used for survey research. In addition, the authors engage students by providing in-depth coverage of public opinion on such issues as political ideology, health care, race, and foreign policy, as well as an update and discussion of the major changes that have taken place on controversial issues such as gay marriage, gun control, and immigration. Updated to i\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The most comprehensive and readable undergraduate public opinion text out there.” -- Jason Gainous, University of Louisville\u003cbr\u003e“Bardes and Oldendick’s text is the best of the half-dozen or so out there on the subject, and is likely to remain so.” -- Daron Shaw, University of Texas at Austin, and coauthor of Campaigns and Elections, Second Edition\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePART I: PUBLIC OPINION AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY 1. Public Opinion and American Democracy  Defining Public Opinion  Does Public Opinion Matter?  Public Opinion versus Public Judgment  Opinions, Attitudes, and Beliefs  The Current Environment  The Plan of the Book  2. Measuring American Opinion: The Origins of Polling  The Origins of Public Opinion Polling  The Development of Survey Research  The Election of 1948: A Temporary Setback  After 1948: Continued Growth  A Surge in Telephone Interviewing: The Development of Random-Digit Dialing  The Rise of Internet Polling  Social Media as an Indicator of Public Opinion  PART II: HOW ARE OPINIONS MEASURED AND USED? 3. How Public Opinion Data Are Used  Using Public Opinion in Political Campaigns  The Use of Public Opinion Polling by Officeholders  The Use of Polling Data by Government Agencies  Public Opinion and Interest Groups  The Use of Polling by the Media  Tracking Presidential Approval Ratings  The Call-In Poll  The Use of Public Opinion Data in Academic Research   4. How Are Opinions Measured?  Modes of Survey Data Collection  Populations of Interest  Selecting a Sample  Random-Digit Dialing  Sampling for Electronic Data Collection  Sampling Error Sample Size  Non-probability Sampling Questionnaire Design  Data Analysis   PART III: WHAT DO AMERICANS BELIEVE? 5. Sources of Opinions: Socialization, Mass Media, and Social Media  The Political Learning of Children and Adolescents  The Influence of Formal Education  Gender and Opinions  The Influence of Peers  Generational Influences on Opinion  The Role of Genetics in Shaping Opinions How Mass Media Influences Public Opinion  Social Media and the Formation of Opinion  6. What the Public Knows about Politics  Early Empirical Investigations  The Unchanging American Voter  Applying Democratic Principles  Group Differences in Knowledge  The Consequences of Political Knowledge  A Glass Half-Full Perspective?  7. Political Orientations  Political Ideology  Party Identification  Confidence in Institutions  Trust in Government  Polarization and Party Sorting in the American Electorate  8. Public Opinion on Social-Welfare Issues  Social-Welfare Issues  Social Security  Education  Health Care  Assisting the Needy  The Environment  The Issue of Global Warming  Group Differences in Attitudes  Polarization on Social-Welfare Issues  9. Americans’ Views on Racial Issues  Historical Racial Issues Government Aid to Minority Groups  Affirmative Action  Symbolic Racism Differences is the Racial Attitudes of Blacks and Whites Polarization on Racial Issues The Increasing Influence of Hispanics   10. Public Opinion on Highly Controversial Issues  Public Opinion toward Abortion  Public Opinion on Gay Rights  The Politics of Individual Rights  Privacy and the Patriot Act The Politics of Crime and Criminal Justice  American Views on Gun Control  Thinking about Weapons and Government Controls  Immigration: A Mind Divided  Polarization on Controversial Issues  11. How Americans View Foreign and Defense Policies  American Opinion in the Post 9\/11 World  Public Opinion and Foreign Policy: Which Opinions?  Foreign Policy Goals and Priorities  Issues of War and Peace Terrorism and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq  Peacekeeping, Rescue, and Other Uses of Military Force  Foreign Aid and Other International Issues How Do Americans Think about Foreign Policy?  Polarization on Foreign Policy Issues  PART IV: PUBLIC OPINION AND VOTING 12. The Electoral Connection: Public Opinion and the Vote Polls and Elections How Voters Decide The Connection between Opinions on Issues and the Vote The Role of Political Parties in Elections Political Ideology and the Vote Party Polarization and Voting Behavior","brand":"Rowman \u0026 Littlefield","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51039969444183,"sku":"9781442261877","price":124.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781442261877.jpg?v=1750945393","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/public-opinion-9781442261877","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}