Public Opinion: Democratic Ideals, Democratic Practice, Edition 4

Rosalee A. Clawson · Zoe M. Oxley

Jul 2020 · CQ Press

About this ebook

In Public Opinion: Democratic Ideals, Democratic Practice, Fourth Edition, Clawson and Oxley link the enduring normative questions of democratic theory to existing empirical research on public opinion. Organized around a series of questions—In a democratic society, what should be the relationship between citizens and their government? Are citizens’ opinions pliable? Are they knowledgeable, attentive, and informed?—the text explores the tension between ideals and their practice. Each chapter focuses on exemplary studies, explaining not only the conclusion of the research, but how it was conducted, so students gain a richer understanding of the research process and see methods applied in context.

About the author

Rosalee A. Clawson is professor of political science at Purdue University. Her research focuses on public opinion, mass media and politics, political psychology, and the politics of race, class, and gender. Her work has been published in the American Political Science Review, Public Opinion Quarterly, Political Communication, Journal of Black Studies, and Global Environmental Change. She is the coauthor of Legacy and Legitimacy: Black Americans and the Supreme Court.

Zoe M. Oxley is professor of political science at Union College. Her research interests include the effects of the media on public opinion, gender and public opinion, women in electoral politics, and political psychology. Her work has been published in the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Politics & Gender, and PS: Political Science and Politics.