Polls and politics : the dilemmas of democracy / edited by Michael A. Genovese and Matthew J. Streb.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Genovese, Michael A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--United States.

Democracy.

Political participation--United States.

Political participation.

Public opinion--United States.

Public opinion.

Public opinion polls.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (205 p.)

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, c2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This hard-hitting and engaging examination of polls and American politics asks an essential question: do polls contribute to the vitality of our democracy or are they undermining the health of our political system? Leading scholars address several key issues such as how various types of polls affect democracy, the meaning attributed to polling data by citizens and the media, the use of polls by presidents, and how political elites respond—or do not respond—to public polls. The contributors assert that while polls tread a fine line between informing and manipulating the public, they remain valuable so long as a robust democracy obliges its political leaders to respond to the expressed will of the people.

Contents:

""Polls and Politics""; ""Contents""; ""Tables and Figures""; ""Preface""; ""1. Polling and the Dilemmas of Democracy by Matthew J. Streb and Michael A. Genovese""; ""2. Presidents, Polls, and the Paradox of Democratic Governance by Michael A. Genovese""; ""3. Presidential Leadership and the Threat to Popular Sovereignty by Lawrence R. Jacobs and Melinda S. Jackson""; ""4. Continuing to Campaign: Public Opinion and the White House by Diane J. Heith""; ""5. Do Polls Give the Public a Voice in a Democracy? by Michael W. Traugott""

""6. When Push Comes to Shove: Push Polling and the Manipulation of Public Opinion by Matthew J. Streb and Susan H. Pinkus""""7. Are Exit Polls Bad for Democracy? by Gerald C. Wright""; ""8. Deliberative Polling, Public Opinion, and Democratic Theory by James S. Fishkin""; ""9. Polling in a Robust Democracy by Michael A. Genovese and Matthew J. Streb""; ""References""; ""Contributors""; ""Index""; ""A""; ""B""; ""C""; ""D""; ""E""; ""F""; ""G""; ""H""; ""I""; ""J""; ""K""; ""L""; ""M""; ""N""; ""O""; ""P""; ""Q""; ""R""; ""S""; ""T""; ""U""; ""V""; ""W""; ""Z""

Notes:

Based on a conference held at Loyola Marymount University in February 2002.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 165-179) and index.

ISBN:

9780791485095

0791485099

9781423739517

1423739515

OCLC:

62365187