List of Figures vii List of Tables xi Acknowledgments xiii Chapter 1: A Fickle Public? 1 PART 1 :THEORY AND METHODS 13 Chapter 2: Predispositions 15 Chapter 3: Why Does Political Information Matter? 27 Chapter 4: Ambivalence, Uncertainty, and Equivocation 52 PART 2: MASS PUBLIC OPINION 65 Chapter 5: Ambivalent Attitudes: Abortion and Euthanasia 67 Chapter 6: Uncertainty and Racial Attitudes 100 Chapter 7: Equivocation 125 PART 3 : MASSES AND ELITES 149 Chapter 8: Mass Opinion and Representation 151 Chapter 9: Do Elites Experience Ambivalence Where Masses Do Not? 194 Chapter 10: Politics, Psychology, and the Survey Response 216 Notes 225 References 233 Index 243
Hard Choices, Easy Answers offers a strikingly original and rigorous theory of public opinion built upon the interaction between psychological predispositions and political information. In addition to providing a refined portrait of the electorate's policy preferences, Alvarez and Brehm compare elites and masses, distinguish between individual and collective opinion, develop methods to interpret the variability of opinions, and draw lessons for theories of political representation--a total package that significantly advances our understanding of attitude formation, belief systems, and survey responses. -- Dennis Chong, Northwestern University Hard Choices, Easy Answers is a very attractive book that has taught me a good deal. It treats numerous topics in public opinion research, but the underlying theme is the wavering in people's minds when they are asked their political views. Anyone concerned with these topics will have to consult the studies included here. This book--whose authors are smart, prominent, productive scholars--will draw considerable attention. -- Christopher Achen, University of Michigan
Hard Choices, Easy Answers offers a strikingly original and rigorous theory of public opinion built upon the interaction between psychological predispositions and political information. In addition to providing a refined portrait of the electorate's policy preferences, Alvarez and Brehm compare elites and masses, distinguish between individual and collective opinion, develop methods to interpret the variability of opinions, and draw lessons for theories of political representation--a total package that significantly advances our understanding of attitude formation, belief systems, and survey responses. -- Dennis Chong, Northwestern University Hard Choices, Easy Answers is a very attractive book that has taught me a good deal. It treats numerous topics in public opinion research, but the underlying theme is the wavering in people's minds when they are asked their political views. Anyone concerned with these topics will have to consult the studies included here. This book--whose authors are smart, prominent, productive scholars--will draw considerable attention. -- Christopher Achen, University of Michigan
R. Michael Alvarez is Professor of Political Science at the California Institute of Technology and the author of "Information and Elections". John Brehm is Professor and Chair of Political Science at the University of Chicago. He is the author of "The Phantom Respondents" and the coauthor of "Working, Shirking, and Sabotage".
"A provocative and important statement about the nature and functioning of mass opinion... Alvarez and Brehm bring a sophisticated methodological arsenal to bear on enduring questions of public opinion. They have produced an invaluable study of the structural underpinnings of political attitudes, one that is deserving of serious consideration from a broad range of social scientists."--Howard Lavine, Perspectives on Politics
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