Public Opinion and Polling around the World: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]

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Description

Covering the intricate facets of America's most important democratic tradition, this book serves as an important resource to understand how citizens; views are translated into governmental action. George Washington toured the countryside on horseback asking citizens their thoughts on his new government. Abraham Lincoln held weekly meetings with citizens to better understand their views. Today, public opinion is power, and no nation can afford to ignore it. Determining what the public is thinking is not always easy. Polls are powerful weapons, but they can be misused. Public Opinion, Polling, and Democracy around the World presents a thorough review of public opinion from its roots in colonial America to its role in today's emerging democracies. More than 100 entries prepared by top scholars examine the 200-year history of public opinion, measurement methodologies with an emphasis on telephone interviews and Internet polls, and key figures like George Gallup and Elmo Roper, who created their own polling systems. An analysis of theories compares schools of thought from the fields of psychology, sociology, and economics and explores how people actually form opinions in their minds. A fascinating snapshot of the public's current views on economic issues, foreign policy, gender, gay rights, and other hot-button topics observes patterns across genders, race, ethnic origins, class, and religion in regions all over the world. Students, academicians, and political observers will discover answers to such questions as, "does public opinion shape the behavior of government"

Reviews

"This unique encyclopedia is an outstanding reference source for both metropolitan public libraries and academic institutions." - Booklist "A work like this (called by its editor and ABC-CLIO 'A Historical Encyclopedia') has never been attempted in the literature of public opinion polling. ... It is a fascinating collection with a good index ... Highly recommended. General and academic collections." - Choice "As one of the few public opinion reference resources published today, it is recommended for academic libraries." - American Reference Books Annual "Public Opinion and Polling around the World may be helpful for researchers who need a brief introduction to current knowledge on the included topics. It has a place in libraries that specialize in political science, government, international affairs, or public opinion research." - Reference & User Services Quarterly "The first volume is on point as it covers the U.S. with both a survey of polling history and nearly 35 topics about which polls have been taken... The set covers a huge literature with one of the few reference books in the field." - Communication Booknotes Quarterly

Author Bio

John G. Geer, Ph.D., is professor of political science and leadership and policy at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.