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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political control & freedoms > Political control & influence > Public opinion & polls
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Numbered Voices (Paperback, New edition)
Loot Price: R1,007
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Numbered Voices (Paperback, New edition)
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How are numbers generated by public opinion surveys used to
describe the national mood? Why have they gained such widespread
respect and power in American life? Do polls enhance democracy, or
simply accelerate the erosion of public discourse? Quantifying the
American mood through opinion polls has come to seem an unbiased
means for assessing what people want. But in Numbered Voices Susan
Herbst demonstrates that how public opinion is measured affects the
ways that voters, legislators, and journalists conceive of it.
Exploring the history of public opinion in the United States from
the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, Herbst analyzes how
quantitative descriptions of public opinion became so
authoritative. She shows how numbers served instrumental functions,
but symbolic ones as well: public opinion figures convey authority
and not only neutral information. Case studies and numerous
examples illustrate how and why quantitative public opinion data
have been so critical during and between American elections. Herbst
then addresses how the quantification of public opinion has
affected contemporary politics, and its implications for the
democratic process. She shows that opinion polling is attractive
because of its scientific aura, but that surveys do not necessarily
enhance public debate. On the contrary, Herbst argues, polling
often causes us to ignore certain dimensions of public problems by
narrowing the bounds of public debate. By scrutinizing the role of
opinion polling in the United States, Numbered Voices forces us to
ask difficult but fundamental questions about American politics -
questions with important implications for the democratic process.
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