37: Public Opinion

David A.M. Peterson, Texas A&M University, dave@polisci.tamu.edu

Public opinion has a central role in this year’s theme of “The Politics of Hard Times.” I encourage proposals that focus on this theme and address related topics such as: How do citizens understand and respond to economic or other hardships? How do they perceive the role of the state, specific political institutions, or leaders to be responsive to or responsible for these hard times? Are the public’s responses consistent across groups (racial, ethnic, class or gender), nations, or between similar crises in history? Finally, are economic hard times unique, or do they fit a more general idea of crisis such as war or scandal in the minds of the public?

In addition to papers addressing this year’s theme directly, I welcome papers on the other central concerns in the study of public opinion. How do people form political attitudes? How and why does the public, in the aggregate, move over time? How do elected officials and political institutions respond to public opinion? I am particularly interested in new developments in data, measurement, and methods for addressing public opinion.