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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      10 April 2023
      11 May 2023
      ISBN:
      9781009242400
      9781009242417
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009242400
      Dimensions:
      Weight & Pages:
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.15kg, 90 Pages
      • Subjects:
      Area Studies, American Studies, American Government, Politics and Policy, Politics and International Relations
      Series:
      Elements in Political Psychology
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    • Selected: Digital
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    Subjects:
    Area Studies, American Studies, American Government, Politics and Policy, Politics and International Relations
    Series:
    Elements in Political Psychology
    Information

    Book description

    An often-forgotten passage of Philip Converse's classic essay on mass belief systems introduced the concept of an issue public – a segment of voters that has crystallized attitudes about a particular topic. Some people deeply care about particular topics, and they might be equipped to reach judgments on these topics. This simple idea could provide an important corrective to work that casts citizens' political competence in a negative light. But, previous attempts to evaluate the issue publics hypothesis have been unsatisfying. This Element proposes and tests a new measurement approach for identifying issue publics. The evidence gathered leads to the conclusion that issue publics exist, but are smaller and more particularistic than existing scholarship presumes them to be. As such, researchers underappreciate the significance of issue opinions in electoral politics.

    References

    References

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