US Public Opinion since the 1930s

Richard Seltzer is professor of political science at Howard University.

Those political scientists who subscribe to Max Weber’s position that “politics is a strong and slow boring of hard boards" know how refreshing it is when an author undertakes a study because they "simply want to have fun" (p. 7). Through his study of public opinion surveys from the 1930s to today on world events, US politics, economics, science, technology, the environment, and popular trends, Seltzer has created an interesting and frequently surprising tour of Americans' thinking over time. The constants are a suspicion bordering on paranoia of communist influence, ambivalence toward labor unions, distrust of the media, and a reluctance to move quickly on racial progress. Americans have, however, dramatically altered their views on LGBTQ+ issues, women’s rights, and environmentalism in response to contextual changes. Seltzer does not take a position on whether the public is “rational." He writes, "Some members of the public are relatively rational, others not so much" (p. 222). He focuses his analysis on teasing out what Americans have believed, not why they believed it. Recommended. All readership levels.

• Acknowledgments Introduction1. 1930s: The Great Depression and the Start of World War II2. 1940s: World War II and the Onset of the Cold War3. 1950s: Anti-Communism, Relative Economic Prosperity at Home and a Growing Cold War Abroad4. 1960s: Era of Protest: Civil rights, Vietnam, and Counterculture5. 1970s: Watergate, Normalization of Relations with China, Continuing Social and Political Protest, the Growth of International Terrorism, and Stagflation6. 1980s: Ronald Reagan, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Soviet War in Afghanistan and AIDS7. 1990s: The Collapse of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, the First Gulf War, the Genocide in Rwanda, Bill Clinton, and the Rise of the Internet8. 2000s: Decade of 9/11, the Iraqi War, The Great Recession, and the Election of Barack Obama9. 2010s: War against ISIS, the Tea Party, Black Lives Matter, Brexit, and the Election of Donald Trump10. 2020: Covid-19, the Killing of George Floyd and Protests, An Attempt to Overthrow an ElectionConclusionApp