Gauging Public Opinion

Catalog description

Elected officials are expected to take the public's opinion into account when designing public policy. But how well informed is the public on policy issues, and how can their opinion be measured? What exactly is public opinion, and do policymakers in fact take it into account when making decisions? In this course, students will first learn about the nature of public opinion and its effects on public policy - how attitudes are formed, how knowledgeable citizens are about public policy, and the degree to which public opinion is reflected in public policy. Students will then learn about the rewards and perils of conducting public opinion research, gaining experience in survey methodologies by designing survey instruments and collecting and analyzing survey data.