Ambivalence, Politics and Public Policy

STEPHEN C. CRAIG is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Graduate Program in Political Campaigning at the University of Florida, USA. MICHAEL D. MARTINEZ is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida, USA.

"Ambivalence is a central feature of Americans' reactions to much of contemporary politics here and abroad. This wonderful book highlights terrific new work that gives us many valuable insights into the nature, causes, and consequences of ambivalence in politics, while at the same time making important contributions to the basic psychology literature on attitude strength." - Jon A. Krosnick, Frederic O. Glover Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences, Stanford University "Ambivalence is a crucial topic, and this book provides a comprehensive treatment of the ways that attitudinal ambivalence affects the political system. Its unique and important contribution is the attention given to the electoral and policy-relevant consequences of citizens ambivalent feelings toward the political world, including important issues like welfare, abortion, civil rights, conservation, and church-state relations. It should be considered required reading for scholars of mass political behavior." - William G. Jacoby, Michigan State University

• Introduction; M.D.Martinez & S.C.Craig Group Ambivalence and Electoral Decision-Making; H.Lavine & M.Steenbergen Ambivalence and Attitude Change in Vote Choice: Do Campaign Switchers Experience Internal Conflict?; P.Fournier What Happens When We Simultaneously Want OppositeThings?: Ambivalence about Social Welfare; J.Gainous & M.D.Martinez The Nature and Consequences of Ambivalence: Abortion and Gay Rights; M.D.Martinez, S.C.Craig, J.G.Kane & J.Gainous Education, Ideology, and Racial Ambivalence: Conflict Reduction or Conflict Amplification?; C.M.Federico Managing Voter Ambivalence in Growth and Conservation Campaigns; D.Chong & Y.Wolinsky-Nhmias Ambivalence and Attitudes toward Church-State Relations; T.G.Jelen Attitudinal Ambivalence and Political Opinion: Review and Avenues for Further Research; C.J.Armitage & M.Conner