Lumpers and Splitters: The Public Opinion Information that Politicians Collect and Use |
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| Authors: | Druckman, James N. Jacobs, Lawrence R. |
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| Affiliation: | JAMES N. DRUCKMAN is an associate professor of political science and faculty fellow at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. LAWRENCE R. JACOBS is the Walter F. and Joan Mondale Chair for Political Studies and director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute and Department of Political Science, University of Minnesota. |
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| Abstract: | Are the decisions of American policymakers informed by generaltrends in the publics ideology or by the publicspolicy-specific preferences? In this article we discuss twoexplanations for the types of public opinion information thatpoliticians collect and use. Using a unique data set of privatepolls from the White House of Richard Nixon, we find that whenopinion data on specific policies were available, the presidentrelied on them and not on general ideology data. On less importantissues, however, we find that the president often chose notto collect policy-specific data and instead relied on generalideology data. The differential collection and use of informationby policymakers reflect varying strategic calculations. Theyalso have profound implications for representative democracyand the demands placed on citizens and governors. |
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