Public Opinion in Advanced Industrial Democracies

by

Russell J. Dalton

Introduction

In the field of public opinion, research spans several aspects of the social sciences, from political attitudes in political science, to understanding family life in sociology, to consumer confidence surveys in economics. Moreover, the development of scientific sampling methods and sophisticated interviewing techniques has improved the precision in measuring public sentiments. This bibliography covers some of the major resources for studying and understanding public opinion in the United States and other advanced industrial democracies. It focuses on the major recent books on the content and methodology of public opinion research as a guide to current scholarship. In addition, the bibliography includes information on primary resources and journals focusing on public opinion research. Many of the large-scale US and international public opinion projects also provide the actual survey data and additional information and bibliographies on their research topics, and these projects are listed below.

General Overviews

There are two types of general introductions to this field. The first are textbooks that outline key concepts and findings in public opinion research. Most focus on the United States (such as Abramson, et al. 2010; Erikson and Tedin 2010; and Flanigan and Zingale 2010), but Dalton 2008 examines public opinion in advanced industrial democracies. The second set of books consists of handbooks or collections that summarize existing research on the nature and content of public opinion. Leighley and Edwards 2010 describes attitudes of the American public, while the other handbooks cover public opinion in established democracies or across global regions (Dalton and Klingemann 2007, Donsbach and Traugott 2007, and Oskamp and Schultz 2004). Geer 2004 is a two-volume collection that summarizes analytic material and has chapters on public opinion in specific nations.

• Abramson, Paul, John Aldrich, and David W. Rohde. Change and Continuity in the 2008 Elections. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2010.

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  In addition to a focused discussion of the 2008 election, this textbook describes the evolution of American electoral behavior from 1952 until 2008.

• Dalton, Russell. Citizen Politics: Public Opinion and Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies. 5th ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2008.

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  A cross-national comparison of public opinion, political participation, and electoral behavior for the United States, Britain, France, and Germany.

• Dalton, Russell, and Hans-Dieter Klingemann, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Political Behavior. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

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  A collection of nearly fifty essays summarizing the state of research in each area: mass belief systems and communication, social modernization and social change, political values, participation, debates in electoral behavior, and political representation.

• Donsbach, Wolfgang, and Michael W. Traugott, eds. The SAGE Handbook of Public Opinion Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2007.

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  This collection focuses on the methodology of public opinion research and its usage. It also includes sections on the public opinion formation and the broad characteristics of public opinions.

• Erikson, Robert, and Kent Tedin. American Public Opinion: Its Origins, Content, and Impact. 8th ed. New York: Longman, 2010.

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  This textbook describes public opinion in the United States and the electoral behavior of Americans.

• Flanigan, William, and Nancy Zingale. Political Behavior of the American Electorate. 12th ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2010.

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  A concise review of many of the main themes in American political behavior and the empirical evidence on each theme.

• Geer, John. Public Opinion and Polling around the World: A Historical Encyclopedia. 2 vols. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC Clio, 2004.

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  This two-volume set has extensive information on the methodology and content of public opinion polls. There are thirty-one essays on opinions toward specific issues. The second volume describes public opinion findings by nation, with a near-global coverage.

• Leighley, Jan, and George C. Edwards III, eds. The Oxford Handbook of American Elections and Political Behavior. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.

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  This collection examines aspects of political behavior relevant to elections: political participation, vote choice, presidential and nonpresidential elections, and the public’s issue interests.

• Oskamp, Stuart, and P. Wesley Schultz. Attitudes and Opinions. 3d ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2004.

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  An extensive reference work on the methodology and content of public opinion research across the social sciences.