This edition includes an analysis of the history and science of public opinion polling, including sampling, question wording and response rate. It includes a list of public opinion websites, and examples from "National Election Studies" (1996) and other iterature are integrated throughout.

American Public Opinion, Sixth Edition, provides the most comprehensive and readable treatment of public opinion and politics available. An in-depth analysis of public opinion, the text explores: public opinion's origins in political socialization; the impact of the media on public opinion; the relevance of public opinion to democratic values; political trust and social capital; and the role of public opinion for elections, political parties and interest groups. The Sixth Edition offers the most recent data and analysis of opinion on such contemporary issues as abortion, gun control, race relations, and health care. As in previous editions, the Sixth Edition examines the relationship between public opinion and policy. American Public Opinion is unique in that it goes beyond a simple presentation of data, and includes critical analysis of the integral role public opinion plays in American democracy.

1. Public Opinion in Democratic Societies.

2. Polling: The Scientific Assessment of Public Opinion.

3. Microlevel Opinion: The Psychology of Opinion-Holding.

4. Macrolevel Opinion: The Flow of Political Sentiment.

5. Political Socialization and Political Learning.

6. Public Opinion and Democratic Stability.

7. Group Differences in Political Opinions.

8. The Print and Broadcast Media and Political Opinions.

9. Elections as Instruments of Popular Control.

10. The Public and Its Elected Representatives.

11. Parties and Interest Groups: Mediating Institutions and Representation.

12. Public Opinion and the Performance of Democracy.

Appendix.

References.

Index.