POLS 349 Midterm II

Science of Public Opinion

1. Vignette Experiments

2. Conjoin Experiments; List Experiments

3. Implicit Attitude

4. Audit Studies

5. Traditional Surveys and Polling Designed to be representative of the public.

American Core Values

Belief in Individualism

• Recall your race neutral/sense of injustice models.

Belief in Ascriptive Difference

• Some people are more deserving/able than others

• Recall Myrdal and the American Creed
  Perhaps group position model? Symbolic racism models?

Increasing Support for the Principle of Racial Equity

Measuring Views on Race

• There are complications in asking about these topics, namely: Social Desirability Bias

• Some attempts to navigate look to:

• Widespread Racial Stereotype

• America’s Racial “Hierarchy”

• Other Measures of Racial Views

Racial Resentment Scale -- "Symbolic Racism"

This battery is one of the strongest predictors of vote choice
Public support of racial equality, but private resentment or animus toward racial minorities.

"Irish, Italian, and Jewish ethnicities overcame prejudice and worked their way up. Blacks should do the
same without any special favors."

"Generations of slavery and discrimination have created conditions that make it difficult for blacks to
work their way out of the lower class."

"Over the past few years, blacks have gotten less than they deserve."

"It's really a matter of some people just not trying hard enough: if blacks would only try harder they
could be just as well off as whites."

What Accounts for the Racial Divide in Public Views?

Think of race as a "bundle of sticks"

Understanding White Views
- Is there a cohesive "white identity?"

Understanding Racial and Ethnic Minority Views
- Studying and recognizing diversity of public opinion with pan-ethnic labels
- And across other dimensions of identity

Understanding How Voters Decide

"Michigan Model" of vote choice
- Party identification is a strong and stable group
attachment
- (Remember our discussion of in-group
formation!)
- However, other things may influence vote choice
as well

Why Have the Parties Aligned Around Race?

Racial Realignment view
Racial Realignment View

• Race has become more consequential in American politics in recent decades because Blacks mobilized
  for more rights and resources

• Leaders of the two major political parties chose to offer increasingly divergent positions on matters of
  race.

• Consider the Black Utility Heuristic (Dawson 1994) and Linked Fate:
  - How much do you think what happens to your racial group will have impact on what happens in your life?

Theories of Black Support for Dems.

The Black Utility Heuristic (Dawson 1994)
- Not feelings of attachment to racial group...
- "rational for African Americans to follow group cues in
interpreting and acting in the political world."
- Group interests proxy individual interests

Why Have the Parties Aligned Around Race?

Southern Strategy
- A tactic used by Republicans (e.g., Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon) to attract more White support
by opposing much of the Civil Rights agenda, including criticizing Blacks, disparaging violence in the
minority community, and highlighting minority use of welfare and other public resources.
- Recall the Symbolic Racism models (e.g., racial resentment) and Group Position models

Why Did Trump Gain Minority Voters in 2020?

The shift was relatively small: Support for Trump increased by 4% among Blacks, 3% among Latinos, and 5% among Asian American, with similar movement among down-ballot races (Edison Research).

2 Religious and social conservatism among some minority groups.

3 Later generations of some ethnic groups may identify more as working class and may be less motivated by ethnic/racial/immigrant concerns.

4 Did the Democratic Party take the Latino and Asian American votes for granted?

What Today’s Political Parties are Not Doing.

Parties are doing relatively little (compared to previous historical periods) to engage new immigrants.

shepherd new immigrants into the political process and nurture secure attachments with a particular political
party?
- The underwhelming presence of political parties in the everyday lives of Latinos and Asian Americans is
reflected in the underwhelming rates of partisan attachments among both groups.

Unconventional Forms of Political Participation

1. Boycotts

2. Strikes

3. Occupations

4. Demonstrations and Protests

Different racial and ethnic groups participate in protests and other less conventional acts at relatively similar levels.

Obligation Mosaic

Racial groups feel that voting, protesting, fighting injustices, or exercising political rights is a way to honor a legacy of those who came before them.

Challenges of Unconventional Political Participation

Collective Dilemmas

Collective Action Problems: Individuals would be better off if they coordinated; but there’s incentive not to.

Free Riding: It makes rational sense to abstain from collective action and benefit from the efforts of those who
participated.

Coordination Problems: Two or more people are better off if they coordinate, and in fact want the same thing. But have different ways of reaching the goal.

Social Movements

Organized and sustained efforts to promote change or to oppose change, where the efforts require
some non-institutionalized collective action and where that change cannot be achieved through regular
means.

Not EVERY protest is a social movement.

Political Theory of Social Movements

Biographical Availability: Freedom from personal constraints that tend to increase the costs and risks of participation.

Frustration, Deprivation, and Grievances (Refer to Davies J Curve)

Resource Mobilization Theory

Explained by structural factors, like the availability of resources and the role of organizations.

Political Process Theory

Focused on political resources, frames, and opportunities.

Political opportunities become available for social movements to develop through: levels of governance, courts, political parties, decentralized governance.

How do Social Movements End?

1. Goal of Social Change is achieved.

2. Issues, passions, and resources that drive a movement from outside the political system are co-
   opted within the system.

3. The initial outrage and commitment cannot be sustained.

4. The movement and its leaders are harshly repressed out of existence.

Do violent protests shift public opinion?

Agenda Seeding: Elites might set the agenda, but minority groups can influence.

More violent protest lead to less democratic party support in 1968.

Radical Flank Effect

Allowing more extremist groups to pursue radical tactics ultimately leads to an outcome of “greater responsiveness to the claims of moderates”.

Can be positive: increased donations, more support for moderate positions, physical protection or address
needs not met by moderates.

And negative: Might depress support for broader cause.

Three Faces of Power

Visible Power: Power that is observable and can be coercive.

Hidden Power: Power to set the agenda.

Invisible Power: Power to shape our beliefs, interests, and awareness of these beliefs and interests.