Numbered voices
Subtitle: how opinion polling has shaped American politics
By: Susan Herbst.
Series: American politics and political economy series; American politics and political economy.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 1993
Place of publication: Chicago
Language: eng
Number of pages: 227
Subjects: Public opinion -- United States; Public opinion -- United states -- History; Public opinion polls; Public opinion polls -- History; Political participation -- United States; Political participation -- United States -- History
Description: Publisher description: Quantifying the American mood through opinion polls appears to be an unbiased means for finding out what people want. But in Numbered Voices, Susan Herbst demonstrates that the way public opinion is measured affects the use that voters, legislators, and journalists make of it. Exploring the history of public opinion in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, Herbst shows how numbers served both instrumental and symbolic functions, not only conveying neutral information but creating a basis authority. Addressing how the quantification of public opinion has affected contemporary politics and the democratic process, Herbst asks difficult but fundamental questions about the workings of American politics.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 205-217) and index.