What is public opinion?

To speak with precision of public opinion is a task not unlike coming to grips with the Holy Ghost.
V.O. Key Jr., 1961
Determinants of Public Opinion
  • Class
    • Prominently affects attitudes on economic left-right dimension
  • Education
    • Libertarian-Authoritarian dimension
      • Tends to make one more liberal
    • Economic left-right dimension
      • Tends to make one more conservative
  • Region
    • Center-periphery tensions
    • Cultural differences
  • Religion
    • Denomination & religiosity
    • "Moral issues" important to Libertarian-Authoritarian dimension
  • Age
    • Life-cycle effects
    • generational effects
  • Gender
    • "gender gap"
    • In US, women tend to be somewhat more liberal than men.
  • Race/Ethnicity