Mass Informed Consent: Evidence on Upgrading Democracy with Polls and New Media
Author(s): Adam F. Simon (Author)
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Publication Date: January 16, 2011
Language: English
Print length: 238 pages
ISBN-10: 0742562557
ISBN-13: 9780742562554
Book Description
Public opinion polling permeates today’s politics, yet many seem suspicious of polls and skeptical in their prominence, fearing that overreliance on public opinion amounts to pandering or that pollsters can manipulate a feeble public. In this book Adam Simon argues that democracy requires that government listen to the public and that sample surveys are the finest democratic technology yet devised. He lays out the fundamentals of public opinion research and illustrates his discussion of the science of polling with recent political hot button issues as case studies_the decision to invade Iraq, partial birth abortion, and the Clinton health care debate. He advocates that poll results meet the standard for mass informed consent and should play a larger role in our politics. Simon concludes with recommendations to improve democracy from the standpoint of citizens, politicians, and the media. Mass Informed Consent will be of special interest to students of public opinion, political behavior, media and politics, interest group politics, and political communication.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Adam Simon offers us an intelligent and useful guide to understanding the uses and significance of good public opinion polling. His case studies are particularly helpful to both the seasoned pro and the beginning student of vox populi.” ―John Zogby, Chairman and Chief Insights Office Zogby International
“The book’s underlying assumption is that the public…will usually make rational decisions, rather than being misled irrationally by what Simon views as propaganda. Walter Lippmann and John Dewey appear as opposing symbols through the book, one as an advocate of decisions led by elites, the other urging input from ordinary citizens.” ―Political Science Quarterly
““Simon provides a whirlwind tour of polling, the statistical tools needed to analyze polls, and relevant ideas about public opinion”” ―Political Science Quarterly
About the Author
Adam Simon teaches political science at Yale University.
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