Elite Influence on Public Opinion in an Informed Electorate

被引:453
作者
Bullock, John G. [1 ,2 ]
机构
[1] Yale Univ, Dept Polit Sci, New Haven, CT 06520 USA
[2] Yale Univ, Inst Social & Policy Studies, New Haven, CT 06520 USA
关键词
PARTISAN CUES; INFORMATION SHORTCUTS; PARTY LABELS; VOTERS; ISSUES; ELABORATION; CANDIDATES; POLICY; NEED;
D O I
10.1017/S0003055411000165
中图分类号
D0 [政治学、政治理论];
学科分类号
0302 ; 030201 ;
摘要
An enduring concern about democracies is that citizens conform too readily to the policy views of elites in their own parties, even to the point of ignoring other information about the policies in question. This article presents two experiments that undermine this concern, at least under one important condition: People rarely possess even a modicum of information about policies; but when they do, their attitudes seem to be affected at least as much by that information as by cues from party elites. The experiments also measure the extent to which people think about policy. Contrary to many accounts, they suggest that party cues do not inhibit such thinking. This is not cause for unbridled optimism about citizens' ability to make good decisions, but it is reason to be more sanguine about their ability to use information about policy when they have it.
引用
收藏
页码:496 / 515
页数:20
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