num_pages: 388
description: Since so few people appear knowledgeable about public affairs, one might question whether collective policy preferences revealed in opinion surveys accurately convey the distribution of voices and interests in a society. Scott Althaus' comprehensive analysis of the relationship between knowledge, representation, and political equality (in opinion surveys) leads to surprising answers. Knowledge does matter, and the way it is dispensed in society can cause collective preferences to reflect opinions disproportionately. Accordingly, the study can help survey researchers, journalists, politicians, and concerned citizens better appreciate the problems and potentials of the usage of opinion polls to represent the people's voice.
language: English
title: Collective Preferences in Democratic Politics: Opinion Surveys and the Will of the People
titlecomplete: Collective Preferences in Democratic Politics: Opinion Surveys and the Will of the People
genres: Political Science
ratings_count: 6
awards: awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Goldsmith Book Prize
category: Academic
publisher: Cambridge University Press