Browsing by Subject "Public opinion--United States"
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Item After the supreme word: the effect of U.S. Supreme Court decisions on public opinion(2007) Unger, Michael Andrew, 1977-; Shaw, Daron R., 1966-; Perry, H. W.This project explores the role that the United States Supreme Court plays in shaping public opinion. Previous scholars have successfully demonstrated that political elites influence public opinion, but those researching the Court's influence on attitude change have reached mixed findings. I build on previous work in three important ways. First, I employ a method of attributing attitude change to the Court that is a theoretical and empirical improvement over previous ways of identifying those who should be influenced by the justices, "reception" of cases. By "reception", I mean whether an individual understands the Court's decisions. Second, I place Court decisions within the broader information environment that includes the cues sent to the public by other political elites. These cues may reinforce or undermine the justices' decision, which could amplify or undercut the effect of receiving cases on attitude change. Third, I take advantage of recent work on the dynamics of attitude change by interacting reception with one's relevant pre-existing beliefs and personal characteristics. To test these assertions, I use a mixed method, multi-case design that combines existing survey research with original data collected from a quasi-experiment conducted in summer 2005. The results indicate that under certain conditions, receiving Court decisions is associated with attitude change on the issues involved in the cases. This project closes with several suggestions for future research including how to refine reception as a method of attributing attitude change to the Court.Item Agenda-setting effects as a mediator of media use and civic engagement : from what the public thinks about to what the public does(2008-12) Moon, Soo Jung, 1965-; McCombs, Maxwell E.This study attempts to explain reasons that underlie the positive correlation between media use and increased levels of engagement by relying upon the agenda-setting theory. The models set forth suggest the following sequence: News attention as influenced by several antecedent variables affects agenda-setting effects on the readers/viewers; in turn, agenda-setting effects trigger strong attitudes among the public and, finally, strong attitudes lead to various types of civic behaviors. The individual level of statistical analysis employed in this research is based on the 2004 ANES data along with a content analysis of stories from the New York Times and NBC’s Nightly News. Fit statistics of four models -- specifically, first-level newspaper, first-level TV, second-level newspaper and second-level TV -- indicated that all of the structural models were retainable, meaning that the hypothesized sequence reflects well the data. Especially, every direct effect along the chain - ranging from media use to agenda-setting, from agenda-setting to attitudes strength, and from attitudes strength to engagement - was significant. Indirect and total effects of agenda-setting for political and civic participation were all found to be significant. Agenda-setting effects operated as a mediator between media use and civic engagement, as hypothesized. In sum, the effects of agenda-setting may be viewed as related to both the behavioral and the cognitive levels so that: What the public thinks about something can be extended to what the public does about something.Item 'Just thinking': political thought and political attitudes(2006) Turgeon, Mathieu; Luskin, Robert C.This dissertation looks at political attitudes. The determinants of political attitudes are numerous, but recent work paid particular attention to information. Information undoubtedly matters, but so does the thought given to information already held. Using data from two originally designed survey-experiments conducted in Brazil and in the U.S., I examine the ways in which thought, alone or in combination with information, affect attitudes from three different angles: the effects of thought on the development, authenticity, and extremity and polarization of political attitudes. Attitude development matters because public opinion polls matter. They inform representatives about what people want, fuel public debate, and affect policymaking. Examining the effects of thought on attitude development is thus of great interest because the value of polls depends heavily on how many voices are heard and how that affects the aggregate distribution of attitudes. Attitude authenticity refers to holding attitudes that are reflective of underlying interests. It also matters because electoral democracy requires a competent citizenry, and citizen competence is partly defined by the citizenry’s ability to express political attitudes and preferences that reflect their interests. This ability is, of course, particularly important during elections and referenda, but also when citizens are asked about their attitudes and preferences in surveys because the latter affect policymaking. Attitude extremity refers to the degree to which one holds an attitude that is further away from the middle. Polarization, on the other hand, is the possible aggregate consequence of attitude extremity. Studying the effects of thought on attitude extremity and polarization is important because it may suggest ways in which public opinion can change when given issues receive increased attention by the media and the political elites. Finally, it is worth noting that the results presented also provide useful insights into survey, and specifically questionnaire design.Item Polls and voting behavior: the impact of polling information on candidate preference, turnout, and strategic voting(2004) Giammo, Joseph Donald; Shaw, Daron R., 1966-Item Toward an understanding of the cyclical formation of public opinion: presidential approval ratings and public opinion polls(2005) Hong, Won-sik; Jensen, Robert, 1958-; Whitney, D. Charles (David Charles), 1946-