Download or read book American National Election Studies Data Sourcebook 1952 1986 written by Warren Edward Miller and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1989 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who votes in national elections? What are their preferences on issues? How important is their party identification? How does their demographic profile change over time? Reflecting an unbroken record of eighteen studies of voter behavior conducted biennially since 1952, this volume presents data on hundreds of elements influencing voters that will interest political scientists, journalists, consultants, and students of political history. The information was obtained from face-to-face interviews with national full probability samples of all citizens of voting age, as part of the University of Michigan/National Election Studies conducted by the Center for Political Studies. The data provide both an unrivaled occasion to gain a deeper understanding of congressional and presidential elections, and a basis for making or challenging broad generalizations about American politics since World War II. Major sections include personal characteristics (age, education, gender, religion, occupation, income, union membership, urbanism, race/ ethnicity); partisanship (party identification, open-ended evaluations of parties and candidates); issues (ideological self-placement, issue preferences, perceptions of economic conditions); candidate traits; thermometer ratings of individuals and groups; voter preferences; media exposure; and voter turnout and political participation. The editors present these attributes in terms of stability and change and the sequence in which the various elements acquire relevance for the voter's choice. The book is organized to give time-series distributions of data from all items included on three or more studies during the thirty-four years covered, and presents first-level analyses through a logically structured series of bivariate tables. It is the only book to include the basic data from National Election Studies.
Download or read book The Illusion of a Conservative Reagan Revolution written by Larry M. Schwab and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-12 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a provocative perspective on the impact of the Reagan administration. Many political commentators, both liberal and conservative, argue that the 1980s was a period of fundamental conservative change. Some of them believe the changes have been so important that the 1980s should be seen as a watershed period in American political history as significant as the 1930s. Schwab denies this thesis and points out that politics and policy did not fundamentally change in a conservative direction. Instead, he demonstrates how policy developments and the political system actually moved in the opposite direction. In the realm of public opinion, Schwab points out that sentiment tends to shift toward the left rather than the right. Support for social and environmental programs remained high and even increased during the Reagan era, whereas support for defense programs dropped to a near-record low. Instead of a New Right conservative shift in public opinion on social issues, Americans became more liberal on women's rights, minority rights, and sexual behavior issues. Schwab's critique extends as well to Reagan's political success and popularity. Rather than being one of the most successful presidents in leading Congress, he was one of the least successful. His conservative ideology lessened support for him among many voters and congressional liberals gained more voter support during the 1980s' elections than conservatives.
Download or read book Elections at Home and Abroad written by M. Kent Jennings and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 1994 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive examination of current issues in voting studies
Download or read book The Rational Public written by Benjamin I. Page and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2010-05-27 with total page 507 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This monumental study is a comprehensive critical survey of the policy preferences of the American public, and will be the definitive work on American public opinion for some time to come. Drawing on an enormous body of public opinion data, Benjamin I. Page and Robert Y. Shapiro provide the richest available portrait of the political views of Americans, from the 1930's to 1990. They not only cover all types of domestic and foreign policy issues, but also consider how opinions vary by age, gender, race, region, and the like. The authors unequivocally demonstrate that, notwithstanding fluctuations in the opinions of individuals, collective public opinion is remarkably coherent: it reflects a stable system of values shared by the majority of Americans and it responds sensitively to new events, arguments, and information reported in the mass media. While documenting some alarming case of manipulation, Page and Shapiro solidly establish the soundness and value of collective political opinion. The Rational Public provides a wealth of information about what we as a nation have wanted from government, how we have changed our minds over the years, and why. For anyone interested in the short- and long-term trends in Americans' policy preferences, or eager to learn what Americans have thought about issues ranging from racial equality to the MX missile, welfare to abortion, this book offers by far the most sophisticated and detailed treatment available.
Download or read book Young v Old written by Susan A. MacManus and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-02-12 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Arguing that an inter-generational war is brewing in the United States, this book paints a picture of the "ageing of America" and what it means for politics and policy questions, including social security, health care, crime, jobs, social welfare, defence and foreign affairs. Differences between older and younger citizens are examined in the light of voting and registration patterns, ideological and party preferences, and varieties of political activism. Contemporary media and new technologies are highlighted as sources of disparities and bridges between the generations - how they "watch politics", how they prefer to solve social problems, and how inter-generational understanding may be improved through communication and education.
Download or read book Elitism Populism and European Politics written by Jack Hayward and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 1996-03-28 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the 1990s there has been an increasingly widespread sense that the governing elites are losing touch with their peoples. leaders are no longer able to count upon the acquiescence of their citizens to which they were accustomed. The disenchantment has resulted in the loss of public support for the political institutions of both the individual European nation states and of the European Union. Taking elitism and populism as the opposite poles between which the political leaders need to steer, the contributors successively consider why there appears to have been a degeneration in the quality of elite leaders, with civil societies turning against their governments and the elite mediators between the powerless and the powerful. The agenda-setting role of the media, the rival appeals to representation and referendum, the problems encountered by political parties and organised interests, and the tensions between public demand and economic constraints are all discussed. The chapters suggest that the need to lead from the front rather than from behind remains indispensable in elitist democracies.
Download or read book Political Protest and Social Change written by Charles F. Andrain and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 1995 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analyzes the reciprocal impact of cultural beliefs, sociopolitical structures, and individual behaviors on protests throughout the world, examining such questions as why people participate in protest activities, what compels them to participate in non- violent movements, and what leads them to engage in revolutionary protest. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Download or read book Political Protest and Social Change written by C. Andrain and published by Springer. This book was released on 1994-12-19 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book probes three issues about the linkage between political protests and social change. First, why do individuals participate in protest activities, including nonviolent movements and revolutions? How do cultural beliefs, sociopolitical structures, personal attitudes, motives and perceptions shape the decision to participate? Second, why do participants choose certain tactics? Protesters use different types of tactics: violent vs. nonviolent, public vs. covert, organized vs. spontaneous and confrontation vs. accommodation with other groups, political parties, and government agencies. Most activists view a particular tactic as a useful means to attain their policy demands. Third, what policy consequences emerge from the activities of protest movements? The book explores the impact of protests on social change and on the distribution of political power, particularly greater access of subordinate groups to government policymakers. A theory of political opportunities helps explain these issues about the origins, activities, and outcomes of protests.
Download or read book Statistical Abstract of the United States written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 1032 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book An Introduction to Survey Research Polling and Data Analysis written by Herbert Weisberg and published by SAGE. This book was released on 1996-07-16 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The nature of survey research - The survey process - Sampling procedures - Questionnaire construction - The data collection stage - Coding practices - Designing survey - The process of data analysis - Single-variable statistics - Statistical inference for means - Two-variable tables - Measures of association - Control tables - Correlation and regression - Writing survey reports - Evaluating surveys - The ethics of polls.
Download or read book The Social Risks of Agriculture written by Ronald C. Wimberley and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2002-08-30 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a vast society where environmentally conscious nonfarming voters and consumers have grown to greatly outnumber those directly engaged in agriculture, what happens in agriculture becomes increasingly subject to control by the general society, as policies and laws cater to constituents and consumers. This book provides an overview of how Americans perceive and value farmers and examines public opinion with regard to a number of agricultural issues. Based on analysis of national survey data, the authors offer an empirically based discussion and interpretation of those views and perceptions that help to shape policy and social sustainability. This unique collection illustrates that in addition to its natural, biological, and economic risks, agriculture has social risks that reverberate through all levels of society. As the general population grows and the number of farms and farmers diminishes, the weight of public opinion becomes more important in the policy arena of society as well as in the market demands for food and fiber grown in safe and favorable environmental conditions. Setting the stage with a consideration of the larger society's interests in agricultural issues and of social and agricultural interdependence, the contributors cover a range of topics and issues affecting agriculture at the end of the 20th century. Chapters examine public perceptions of government's role in farming; support for an environmentally friendly agricultural system; views on pesticides and chemicals in foods; consumer attitudes on food safety; threats to clean drinking water, concerns over farm animal welfare; and the basic agrarian ethic of American society. The book concludes with a look to the future of the social risks of agriculture in the 21st century.
Download or read book The Two Majorities written by Byron E. Shafer and published by Johns Hopkins University Press. This book was released on 1995-07-25 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do Democratic political candidates avoid the one issue on which the general public is most in agreement with them? Why do Republicans consistently raise the one issue their advisors urge them to avoid? Why do voters so often exhibit patterns of policy preference vastly different from what analysts and strategists predict? And why do these same voters consistently cast ballots that ensure the continuation of "divided government?" In The Two Majorities Byron Shafer and William Claggett offer groundbreaking political analysis that resolves many of the seeming contradictions in the contemporary American political scene. Drawing on an unusually large sample of all Americans, taken by the Gallup organization, Shafer and Claggett argue that the recent turbulence in American politics is in some ways superficial. Below the surface, they contend, the political preferences of the American people remain remarkably stable. Shafer and Claggett find that American public opinion is organized around two clusters of issues—both of which are favored by a majority if voters: social welfare, social insurance, and civil rights, which constitute an economic/welfare factor (associated with Democrats), and cultural values, civil liberties, and foreign relations, a cultural/national factor (associated with Republicans). Provocatively, the authors argue that each party's best strategy for success is not to try to take popular positions on the whole range of issues, but to focus attention on the party's most successful cluster of issues.
Download or read book The Changing American Mind written by William G. Mayer and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 1992 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dynamics of public opinion in America over the last three decades
Download or read book Political Attitudes Over the Life Span written by Duane Francis Alwin and published by Univ of Wisconsin Press. This book was released on 1991 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A handsome work of cartography. The maps match census data to the results of electron returns. The third study of the political attitudes of a group of women who attended Bennington College in the 1930s and 1940s. The first two (1943 and 1967) focused on the importance of the social environment in shaping and maintaining attitudes. The third, based on interviews conducted in 1984, investigates the effect not only of social factors, but also of the aging process and the changing times. Paper edition (unseen), $21.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Download or read book The Disappearing American Voter written by Ruy A. Teixeira and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2011-10-01 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy. To millions around the world who have fought for that right, it is considered a privilege. Yet the magnitude of nonvoting in America is staggering. More than 91 million Americans did not vote in 1988, putting voter turnout at barely half of the voting-age population. This situation has stirred much comment and debate across the political spectrum, raising several questions: Why is voter turnout generally so low? Why has it declined steadily over the past three decades? Does low and declining turnout significantly bias the nature of contemporary U.S. politics? And what, if anything, can be done to increase voter participation? In this book, Ruy Teixeira addresses each of these question in detail in an effort to provide policymakers and the general public with a clearer view of the problem and possible solutions. The author's interpretations and recommendations are both provocative and firmly based on currently available data. Teixeira includes an assessment of current registration reform legislation and shows why a combination of registration reform and political reform is necessary to fully reverse the nonvoting trend and move to substantially higher turnout levels. He points out that while it is unlikely U.S. voter turnout will ever approach levels in Sweden, Australia, and Belgium—which are about 90 percent—with a thorough reform program, levels of around 70 percent, such as those in Japan and Canada, may be attainable.
Download or read book Transitional Citizens written by Timothy J. COLTON and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Subjects obey. Citizens choose. Transitional Citizens looks at the newly empowered citizens of Russia's protodemocracy facing choices at the ballot box that just a few years ago, under dictatorial rule, they could not have dreamt of. The stakes in post-Soviet elections are extraordinary. While in the West politicians argue over refinements to social systems in basically good working order, in the Russian Federation they address graver concerns--dysfunctional institutions, individual freedom, nationhood, property rights, provision of the basic necessities of life in an unparalleled economic downswing. The idiom of Russian campaigns is that of apocalypse and mutual demonization. This might give an impression of political chaos. However, as Timothy Colton finds, voting in transitional Russia is highly patterned. Despite their unfamiliarity with democracy, subjects-turned-citizens learn about their electoral options from peers and the mass media and make choices that manifest a purposiveness that will surprise many readers. Colton reveals that post-Communist voting is not driven by a single explanatory factor such as ethnicity, charismatic leadership, or financial concerns, but rather by multiple causes interacting in complex ways. He gives us the most sophisticated and insightful account yet of the citizens of the new Russia.
Download or read book Voice and Equality written by Sidney Verba and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1995-09-26 with total page 668 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book confirms the idea put forth by Tocqueville that American democracy is rooted in civic voluntarism—citizens’ involvement in family, work, school, and religion, as well as in their political participation as voters, campaigners, protesters, or community activists. The authors analyze civic activity with a massive survey of 15,000 people.
