Value War: Public Opinion and the Politics of Gay Rights

(Paperback)

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In Value War: Public Opinion and the Politics of Gay Rights, Paul R. Brewer looks at how the public debate about gay rights has shaped public opinion and conversely how public opinion has shaped the public debate about gay rights. Using a variety of methods, including polls, experimentation, and content analysis, he shows how the nature of public debatewhich encompasses news stories, television sitcoms, presidential speeches, and sermons by local clergyhas influenced what and how Americans think about gay rights. He also shows how public opinion has created opportunities and obstacles for foes and advocates of gay rights by defining the very terms and boundaries of the public debate.

Brewer's analysis not only sheds new light on how the politics of gay rights has evolved in recent years and may evolve in the future, it also illuminates the broader tensions in American politics, from the culture war over social issues to the struggle over civil rights.

Reviews

Brewer's book is the best book written to date on the subject of public opinion and gay rights. Brewer combines sophisticated social research methods with a strong nose for politics. He situates his work nicely both in the enduring issues of American politics and in the unique characteristics of comemporary American politics. Written in a lucid and engaging style, this is a book that should appeal to a wide audience of readers. I think, for example, that it would fit very nicely into an undergraduate public opinion course as well as being of interest to academic specialists in the field. -- Ken Sherrill, Hunter College
This is an engaging book about an important topic in U.S. politics. In a clear and cogent manner, Paul Brewer discusses the interactive effect between public opinion and gay rights policymaking. Using a variety of data, including public opinion surveys, content analysis of media messages, and experimental design, he effectively accomplishes his task of showing that public opinion plays an important role in influencing the formulation of gay rights policies and that public debate helps determine the parameters of public opinion on gay rights. -- Susan Gluck Mezey, Loyola University, Chicago
Recommended. All levels / libraries. * Choice Reviews *
In Value War, Paul Brewer brings together and extends the themes, data, and analysis from several of his published journal articles to create a book that is certainly more than the simple sum of its parts. Brewer's accessible text offers an excellent case study of public opinion, but it also provides a framework for examining the role of the media and political elites in public debates over issues like immigration, health care reform, stem cell reserach, or climate change.... * Political Communication *
This book takes on the long overdue task of carefully documenting and explaining the change in American public opinion on gay rights over the past thirty years. It will help readers better understand the nation's remarkable shift toward acceptance of homosexuality and the emerging sense among Americans that gays and lesbians deserve equal rights. -- Pat Egan, New York University
In Value War, Paul Brewer brings together and extends the themes, data, and analysis from several of his published journal articles to create a book that is certainly more than the simple sum of its parts. Brewer's accessible text offers an excellent case study of public opinion, but it also provides a framework for examining the role of the media and political elites in public debates over issues like immigration, health care reform, stem cell reserach, or climate change. * Political Communication *

Author Bio

Paul R. Brewer is associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.