Mass Informed Consent: Evidence on Upgrading Democracy with Polls and New Media

Adam F. Simon

doi:10.5771/9781442209343

Summary

Public opinion polling permeates today's politics, yet many seem suspicious of polls and skeptical in their prominence, fearing that overreliance on public opinion amounts to pandering or that pollsters can manipulate a feeble public. In this book Adam Simon argues that democracy requires that government listen to the public and that sample surveys are the finest democratic technology yet devised. He lays out the fundamentals of public opinion research and illustrates his discussion of the science of polling with recent political hot button issues as case studies_the decision to invade Iraq, partial birth abortion, and the Clinton health care debate. He advocates that poll results meet the standard for mass informed consent and should play a larger role in our politics. Simon concludes with recommendations to improve democracy from the standpoint of citizens, politicians, and the media. Mass Informed Consent will be of special interest to students of public opinion, political behavior, media and politics, interest group politics, and political communication.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2011
Copyright year: 2011
ISBN-Print: 978-0-7425-6255-4
ISBN-Online: 978-1-4422-0934-3
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 232
Product type: Book Titles

1. Table of Contents No access
Chapter 1 Who Deserves the Blame for Invading Iraq (and Other Mistakes)? No access Pages 1 - 28
Chapter 2 The Yes, No, and Don’t Knows of Political Polling No access Pages 29 - 62
Chapter 3 Gently Introducing Science, Starring the Median Voter Model and a Test of Citizens’ Independence No access Pages 63 - 84
Chapter 4 Why Do Americans Favor Some Things yet Oppose Others? and Explaining Republican Success against Partial Birth Abortion No access Pages 85 - 120
Chapter 5 Questions Are Just as Important as Answers, Particularly in a Study of Public Opinion on the Iraq Invasion No access Pages 121 - 158
Chapter 6 Debunking Manipulation Myths, Featuring the Infamous Harry and Louise No access Pages 159 - 190
Chapter 7 Political Reforms and Thoughts on Media Old and New No access Pages 191 - 220
Bibliography No access Pages 221 - 224
Index No access Pages 225 - 230
About the Author No access Pages 231 - 232