PUBLIC OPINION

Catalog description

This American Politics course focuses on public opinion. We will consider normative expectations of the public in a democratic society, how to analyze public opinion polls, the nature, sources, and structure of political attitudes, trends in public opinion at the aggregate, how group membership and attitudes toward groups influence political attitudes, the sources and consequences of political trust and why it matters, the impact of the media on public opinion, and the impact of public opinion on government outputs. In examining each of these topics we will pay special attention to whether public opinion can be considered “rational” (i.e., thoughtful, sophisticated, informed, etc.) and the implications for democratic governance. Faculty