American Public Opinion

Robert S. Erikson is Professor of Political Science at Columbia University. He has written widely on American politics and is the coauthor of the following books: Statehouse Democracy (1994), The Macro Polity (2002), and The Timeline of Presidential Elections (2012). He has written articles on US politics for major political science journals including the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and Public Opinion Quarterly, among others. He is the past editor of the American Journal of Political Science and of Political Analysis.Kent L. Tedin is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston. He served as department chair from 1984 to 2002. He has written extensively on political socialization, notably the influence of families and peers on the filial generation. He has also written a number of articles on schools and public opinion, including how charter schools affect the social capital of parents, as well as how race and academic quality attributed to character school affect parent choice. Recently he has written on the effect on public opinion of presidents’ "going public." He has published articles in every major political science journal including the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and Public Opinion Quarterly, among others.

Praise for American Public OpinionThe strengths of this text have always been the authors' thorough coverage of the topic of political opinion. The book is a great primer on the most important factors. Additionally, the book is a relatively easy read for students. It is not laden with academic jargon and data is presented in a straightforward manner. The new edition is a timely update and it will continue to be my go-text for my public opinion course. —Monika McDermott, Fordham UniversityAmerican Public Opinion is well organized and uses excellent examples. Its focus dovetails with the way I organize my course. It is clearly written, and accessible to undergraduates. It’s also about the right length. It’s the perfect textbook for my course on Public Opinion, and the new edition will be greatly welcomed with its enhanced discussion of polarization, the updating of material to reflect recent scholarship, and recent developments in American politics. —Howard Gold, Smith College

• 1. Public Opinion in Democratic Societies2 .Polling: The Scientific Assessment of Public Opinion 3. Microlevel Opinion: The Psychology of Opinion-Holding4. Macrolevel Opinion: The Flow of Political Sentiment5. Political Socialization and Political Learning 6. Public Opinion and Democratic Stability 7. Group Differences in Political Opinions 8 .The News Media and Political Opinions 9. Elections as Instruments of Popular Control 10. The Public and Its Elected Leaders ]11. Public Opinion and the Performance of Democracy