1st Edition

The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion Reconsidered What Determines Public Opinion?

Edited By Jeffrey Friedman Copyright 2015
    240 Pages
    by Routledge

    In the Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion (1992), John Zaller set out one of the most influential models of opinion formation: he presented the public as a pliable instrument of political elites, who are able to garner support simply by sending "cues" through the mass media telling Republicans or Democrats, for example, what "the" Republican or Democratic position is on a given issue. Contributors to this volume critically examine Zaller’s model and its implications, empirical and normative. The introduction contrasts two different strands in Zaller’s book, one of which confines the impact of media messages to politicians’ cues, the other of which emphasizes the impact of journalists’ interpretive frames. Other chapters examine whether elite domination of public opinion is desirable and assess how well Zaller’s model has withstood two decades of research. Zaller himself contributes a long retrospective in which he modifies some claims, defends others, and sets out a bold new research agenda.

    This book was published as a special issue of Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society.

    1. Beyond Cues and Political Elites: The Forgotten Zaller Jeffrey Friedman

    2. The Political Education of John Zaller Larry M. Bartels

    3. Limits of Elite Influence on Public Opinion Stanley Feldman, Leonie Huddy and George E. Marcus

    4. Political Values and Political Awareness Paul Goren

    5. Should the Mass Public Follow Elite Opinion? It Depends . . . Jennifer L. Hochschild

    6. The Psychological Veracity of Zaller’s Model Cindy D. Kam

    7. What Nature and Origins Leaves Out John Zaller

    Biography

    Jeffrey Friedman, a visiting scholar in the Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin, USA, received an MA in History from the University of California, Berkeley, USA, and an MA and Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University, USA. He is the editor of Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society.