| Abstract: | Public opinion was largely ignored when the federal government first compelled busing for school desegregation in the 1970s. Yet, public opinion has a potentially large impact on local school boards' plans and policies when communities seek or obtain unitary status. Scholarship suggests that self-interest, racial attitudes, and philosophical values shape antibusing sentiments. Analysis of survey data from Nashville, Tennessee, shows that they do there as well. More important, though, further analysis shows that perceptions of busing's failure, which seem to be misguided, have a substantial impact on whether respondents want busing to end, even when race, self-interest, and ideological values are controlled. Perception, as mis-perception, is therefore a potentially salient factor in policy evaluation. Perceptions of policy success or failure may be socially constructed by media, elites, or people themselves. Additional research in this direction is clearly necessary. |
