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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
An 8 page analysis of Zaller's book. The writer demonstrates that Zaller offers an extended argument on exactly how people form their political preferences as he seeks to show how news and political arguments 'diffuse through large populations' as well as 'how individuals evaluate this information in light of their political values and other predispositions.' No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
8 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Zaller.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
abiding question for anyone who watches the U.S. political arena is whether or not these polls accurately represent the political attitudes of the populace. Zallers book addresses this question.
He offers an extended argument on exactly how people form their political preferences as he seeks to show how news and political arguments "diffuse through large populations" as well as
"how individuals evaluate this information in light of their political values and other predispositions" (1) John R. Zallers book, The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion, may strike the reader
as being a study in political psychology; however, as Zaller points out, it is much closer to the discipline of political science than to psychology (3). This is evident in
the wide range of topics addressed by the book?racial and political tolerance, support for American involvement in overseas conflicts, voting in presidential and congressional elections, trust in government and judgments
pertaining to the economy (1). Another often debated area of American culture that Zaller covers is the coverage of politics and public affair information provided in the mass media.
Zaller looks at news reports, partisan argumentation, televised news conferences and even paid advertisements for election campaigns in evaluating the formation of mass opinion (1). Zaller examines the relative balance
and amount of attention given by the media to political positions. It is Zallers objective to integrate the dynamics of public opinion into a cohesive theoretical system. With such a
wide-ranging goal, it is not surprising that there is a high level of generality in regards to much of the information offered. Still, Zaller makes these points of integration clear
and they are surprisingly simple. The first point is that the amount of attention that the average citizen will pay to matters of politics has a tendency to vary, therefore,
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