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Influence of Public Opinion on Policy Making: A Comparative Study

Explore the impact of public opinion on policy decisions and analyze responsiveness of government to mass sentiments. Investigate the role of elites, special interests, and ideological climate in shaping policies.

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Influence of Public Opinion on Policy Making: A Comparative Study

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  1. Journalism 614:Public Opinion and Policy Making

  2. Changes in Global Warming Opinion

  3. Changes in Global Warming Opinion

  4. Same-Sex Marriage Opinion

  5. Same-Sex Marriage Opinion by Party ID

  6. Public Opinion on Immigration Policy

  7. Public Opinion on Immigration by Party

  8. Opinion and Policy • What influence do these indicators of public opinion have on public policy? • Are our elites responsive to public opinion? • Do special interests have a greater influence over policy making than public opinion? • Under what conditions do governments act in accordance with mass opinion?

  9. Policy Responsiveness • “Open interplay of opinion and policy is the distinguishing mark of popular rule” - H. Lasswell • A normative view of democracy • Concerns the way things should be • Conversely, “Democratic government only amounts to a hoax, a ritual whose performance serves only to delude the people and thereby to convert them into willing subjects of the powers that be -- V.O. Key

  10. Various Possibilities • Public opinion constrains public policy • Public opinion exerts strong influence to direct or redirect government policy • Public opinion ignored in policy making, while special interest and corporate voices are heard • Public opinion is molded by elites into alignment with preferred policies

  11. Opinion as Policy Influence • Domestic Policy • Civil Rights Act - Calls for desegregation • Roe v. Wade - Growing support for abortion • Capital Punishment - Legalized, again but… • Foreign policy • Vietnam War - Public Call for Withdrawal • China in UN - Public Opposition Eroded • War in Iraq - Declining Support for Troops

  12. Opinion Ignored, Sometimes • Reduce Foreign Aid • Cut Back on Space Program • Support School Prayer • Support More Stringent Gun Control • Often the influence of strong lobbying groups • Often in response to international threats

  13. Responsiveness Heightened When… • Elected officials more responsive near elections - often through party influence • Elected officials who view themselves as “delegates” — not “politicos” — respond • Elected officials respond to interest groups that reflect the views of public groups • Aggregate and articulate: Democratic pluralism • Elected officials respond to dominant elites

  14. Evidence of Responsiveness • Monroe - studied 500 cases of consistency or inconsistency between government policy and majority public opinion • Consistent 55% between 1980-1993 • Decline from 63% during the 1960-79 period • Foreign policy decisions tended to be among the most consistent – 67% in both periods • In cases of inconsistency, public wanted change but government stayed with the status quo

  15. Examining Response to Change • Page and Shapiro - Do changes in opinion produce changes in policy? • Policy congruent with opinion 66% of time • The larger the shift in the opinion the more responsive government was to opinion

  16. Examining Issue Salience • Burstein - Issue salience enhances the impact of elite responsiveness to opinion • The impact of opinion remains strong even when the activities of political organizations and elites are taken into account • Responsiveness appears not to have changed significantly over time

  17. Localized Responsiveness • Vietnam and Troop Withdrawals • Defense Spending • Respond to aggregated national opinion • Roll Call Voting - Community Focused • Miller and Stokes find that elected officials are responsive to the opinions of constituents • Greater for highly salient issues - e.g., Race

  18. Ideological Responsiveness • Respond to ideological climate — public mood — not specific policy preferences • The notion of “public sentiment” • Sense of support for an ideology • Used as basis for range of policies • Long-term responsiveness of ideological mood to public policy change • Stimson, MacKuen, & Erikson

  19. Portrait of Responsiveness? • Do we have democratic decision-making through the influence of mass opinion? • If policies don’t reflect view of majority or growing minority, who do they support? • Is the government responsive or do they move opinion in advance of policy change? • How is opinion manufactured to support certain perspectives?

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