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The Paradox of Mass Politics - Knowledge and Opinion in the American Electorate (Paperback)
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The Paradox of Mass Politics - Knowledge and Opinion in the American Electorate (Paperback)
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A central current in the history of democratic politics is the
tensions between the political culture of an informed citizenry and
the potentially antidemocratic impulses of the larger mass of
individuals who are only marginally involved in the political
world. Given the public's low level of political interest and
knowledge, it is paradoxical that the democratic system works at
all. In The Paradox of Mass Politics W. Russell Neuman analyzes the
major election surveys in the United States for the period
1948-1980 and develops for each a central index of political
sophistication based on measures of political interest, knowledge,
and style of political conceptualization. Taking a fresh look at
the dramatic findings of public apathy and ignorance, he probes the
process by which citizens acquire political knowledge and the
impact of their knowledge on voting behavior. The book challenges
the commonly held view that politically oriented college-educated
individuals have a sophisticated grasp of the fundamental political
issues of the day and do not rely heavily on vague political
symbolism and party identification in their electoral calculus. In
their expression of political opinions and in the stability and
coherence of those opinions over time, the more knowledgeable half
of the population, Neuman concludes, is almost indistinguishable
from the other half. This is, in effect, a second paradox closely
related to the first. In an attempt to resolve a major and
persisting paradox of political theory, Neuman develops a model of
three publics, which more accurately portrays the distribution of
political knowledge and behavior in the mass population. He
identifies a stratum of apoliticals, a large middle mass, and a
politically sophisticated elite. The elite is so small (less than 5
percent) that the beliefs and behavior of its member are lost in
the large random samples of national election surveys, but so
active and articulate that its views are often equated with public
opinion at large by the powers in Washington. The key to the
paradox of mass politics is the activity of this tiny stratum of
persons who follow political issues with care and expertise. This
book is essential reading for concerned students of American
politics, sociology, public opinion, and mass communication.
General
Imprint: |
Harvard University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
1986 |
First published: |
1986 |
Authors: |
W. Russell Neuman
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Dimensions: |
275 x 150 x 19mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
241 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-674-65460-0 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
Politics & government >
General
|
LSN: |
0-674-65460-9 |
Barcode: |
9780674654600 |
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