- The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion
Infobox Book
name = The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion
image_caption =
author =John Zaller
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country =
language = English
series =
subject =
genre =
publisher =Cambridge University Press
release_date =1992-08-28
media_type =
pages = 381
isbn = 978-05-2140-786-1
preceded_by =
followed_by ="The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion" is a
1992 non-fiction book by political scientistJohn Zaller that examines the processes by which individuals form and express political opinions and the implications this has for public opinion research. The book has been called "the single most important book on public opinion since V. O. Key's 1961 classic, "Public Opinion and American Democracy"." [cite journal
last = Kenski
first = Henry C.
year = 1993
month = September
title = "The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion", by John Zaller
journal = Contemporary Sociology
volume = 22
issue = 5
pages = 738–739
doi = 10.2307/2074664
url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0094-3061(199309)22%3A5%3C738%3ATNAOOM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7
accessdate = 2007-01-15]Zaller argues that
public opinion is heavily influenced by exposure to elite discourse on political matters. He attributes variation in political attitudes between individuals to individual-level differences in receptivity to this discourse, in terms of political awareness (i.e., does an individual receive political messages from elites?) and concordance with prior beliefs (i.e., do the messages received conform to an individual’s basic political values?).By rejecting the notion that voters hold single
preference s (or, in fact, that individuals possess structured belief systems from which they can derive policy preferences), the book challenges the usefulness of public opinion surveys. Zaller’s argument as to how individuals form survey responses is effectively summarized by his "Receive-Accept-Sample" (RAS) model, according to which the opinions individuals express reflect the messages they have received (contingent on the degree of political awareness), accepted (contingent on consistency with prior beliefs), and sampled from (contingent on what issues hold priority "at that moment").Politically more aware individuals are more likely to pick up ("receive") elite messages. They are also, due to their exposure to multiple and often conflicting messages, less likely to accept messages that are inconsistent with their prior attitudes (i.e., they are more selective). Less aware individuals receive fewer messages, but are more likely to accept them (even if they are conflicting). Thus, Zaller argues, there is a positive correlation between political awareness and the consistency and stability of political opinions.
Following the RAS model, political opinion surveys are not valid measures of public opinion as they do not measure an individual’s "true preferences", but instead the balance of considerations that are most salient to the surveyee at that particular instant. In Zaller’s words, "most of what gets measured as public opinion does not exist except in the presence of a pollster". [cite book
last = Zaller
first = John
authorlink = John Zaller
title = The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion
date =1992-08-28
publisher =Cambridge University Press
location =Cambridge , UK
pages = 265
isbn = 978-0521407861]In a subsequent [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1049-0965(199806)31%3A2%3C182%3AMLCTPS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Z article] , Zaller backtracks from his argument in "The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion" and maintains that the influence elites exercise over public opinion is less than he had originally claimed. He writes: [cite journal
last = Zaller
first = John R.
authorlink = John Zaller
year = 1998
month = June
title = Monica Lewinsky's Contribution to Political Science
journal = PS: Political Science and Politics
volume = 31
issue = 2
pages = 182–189
doi = 10.2307/420248
url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1049-0965%28199806%2931%3A2%3C182%3AMLCTPS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Z&size=LARGE
accessdate = 2007-01-14]However poorly informed, psychologically driven, and "mass-mediated" public opinion may be, it is capable of recognizing and focusing on its own conception of what matters.
References
External links
* [http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521404495 "The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion"] at Cambridge University Press
* [http://adambrown.info/p/summaries/Zaller:_The_nature_and_origins_of_mass_opinion Summary of "The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion"]
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