The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780521404495)

In this book John Zaller develops a comprehensive theory to explain how people acquire political information from the mass media and convert it into political preferences. Using numerous specific examples, Zaller applies this theory in order to explain the dynamics of public opinion on a broad range of subjects, including both domestic and foreign policy, trust in government, racial equality, and presidential approval, as well as voting behavior in U.S. House, Senate and Presidential elections. Particularly perplexing characteristics of public opinion are also examined, such as the high degree of random fluctuations in political attitudes observed in opinion surveys and the changes in attitudes due to minor changes in the wording of survey questions.

Author: John R. Zaller
ISBN-10: 0521404495
ISBN-13: 9780521404495
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 08/28/1992
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.61lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.00d