The Illusion of Public Opinion
eBook - ePub

The Illusion of Public Opinion

Fact and Artifact in American Public Opinion Polls

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The Illusion of Public Opinion

Fact and Artifact in American Public Opinion Polls

About this book

In a rigorous critique of public opinion polling in the United States, George F. Bishop makes the case that a lot of what passes as 'public opinion' in mass media today is an illusion, an artifact of measurement created by vague or misleading survey questions presented to respondents who typically construct their opinions on the spot. Using evidence from a wide variety of data sources, Bishop shows that widespread public ignorance and poorly informed opinions are the norm, rather than definitive public opinion on key political, social, and cultural issues of the day. The Illusion of Public Opinion presents a number of cautionary tales about how American public opinion has supposedly changed since September 11, 2001, amplified by additional examples drawn from the National Election Studies. Bishop's analysis of the pitfalls of asking survey questions and interpreting poll results leads the reader to a more skeptical appreciation of the art and science of public opinion polling as it is practiced today.

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Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Table of Contents
  5. Table of Contents
  6. Preface
  7. 1 - The Elusiveness of “Public Opinion”
  8. 2 - Illusory Opinions on Public Affairs
  9. 3 - Survey Questions and Reality
  10. 4 - The Changing American Voter: Fact and Artifact
  11. 5 - September 11’s Ephemeral Opinions
  12. 6 - Ambiguities of Measurement
  13. 7 - Spurious Impressions in the Press
  14. 8 - Illusions of Causality: Asking Why
  15. 9 - Improving the Measurement of Public Opinion
  16. References
  17. Index
  18. About the Author

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