Theorists - POLSCI 311

V.O. Key

Public opinion = "opinions held by private persons that governments find it prudent to heed." Emphasizes latent opinion and special publics.

Converse pt 1

Public opinion = what's measured by surveys. Sees surveys as imperfect but meaningful reflections of mass opinion.

Blumer

Rejects idea of equal weighting of all citizens' opinions; argues that social groups and organized interests shape policy. Polls are not the essence of public opinion and public opinion is the outcome of group struggle

Ginsberg

Critiques surveys: they depoliticize opinion and make leaders less responsive (treat intensity as equal, and that it favors elites). Prioritizes attitudes instead of action

Lippmann

The average person lacks time and capacity for political understanding. Media and language distort reality.

Carpini and Keeter

Americans know little; knowledge best on "rules of the game - institutions, processes, trivia facts," weakest on "people and parties - what they actually stand for."

Kleinberg and Lau

Younger voters substitute online information for memory—can access but not retain knowledge.

Lodge (on-line model)

People form evaluations on the fly; don't retain facts but update impressions as they learn. Supported by amnesia experiments (declarative vs. non-declarative memory). They don't need to recall to be able to vote consistently

Coronel

Found evidence for On-Line Models using amnesia patients. Voters can choose "correct" candidates without recalling specific facts. Declarative memory is factual recall and non-declarative is habits and implicit learning

Converse pt 2

"The Nature of Belief Systems": most citizens have "non-attitudes"; low constraint and instability.

Lane

Common man has complex but non-ideological thinking; not necessarily uninformed.

Kinder and Kalmoe

Confirm Converse: few ideologues, sophistication tied to political knowledge.

Zaller

Rejects "non-attitudes" thesis: people are ambivalent, not random. People internalize conflicting messages

Page and Shapiro

"Miracle of Aggregation": collective public opinion is rational even if individuals are not.

carmines and stimson

Issue evolution theory (1964 election racial realignment); "easy" - more symbolic vs. "hard" issues - more technical.

Aldrich et. al

Foreign policy and context can make issue voting more likely.

alchen and bartels

"Democracy for Realists": voters are retrospective and myopic, not informed policy thinkers.

Jennings

elites show higher constraint and the public is half as consistent