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Public Opinion (Political Science)

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Public opinion in political science refers to the collective attitudes, beliefs, and preferences of individuals regarding political issues, leaders, and policies. It is a critical factor influencing political behavior, decision-making, and the functioning of democratic systems, often measured through surveys and polls to gauge the sentiments of the electorate.
lightbulbAbout this topic
Public opinion in political science refers to the collective attitudes, beliefs, and preferences of individuals regarding political issues, leaders, and policies. It is a critical factor influencing political behavior, decision-making, and the functioning of democratic systems, often measured through surveys and polls to gauge the sentiments of the electorate.

Key research themes

1. How does public opinion shape leader decision-making and policy congruence in political and international domains?

This theme explores the interaction between public opinion and elite decision-making, focusing on the extent to which public opinion influences foreign policy, government legitimacy, and political representation. It examines how leaders respond to public attitudes, the presence or absence of mass-elite congruence concerning key political issues like European integration, foreign policy, and governance legitimacy, as well as the dynamics of opinion formation and policy responsiveness across different contexts.

Key finding: Finds that public opinion acts as a consistent counterweight influencing U.S. presidential foreign policy decisions, especially in complex areas like nuclear negotiations with Iran. Leaders both follow and seek to shape... Read more
Key finding: Demonstrates that public trust and confidence in the U.S. federal government have declined broadly across demographic groups due to factors such as exposure of government deception and political-economic challenges. The... Read more
Key finding: Provides multi-level model evidence of a double-sided mass-elite gap on European integration in most EU-9 countries, wherein pro-European elites tend to be more supportive than their voters, while Eurosceptic elites display... Read more
Key finding: Reveals that contrary to prevalent interpretations, the UK in 2016 exhibited minimal mass-elite opinion divergence on EU integration, with evidence of an anti-EU elite bias at the party level. This challenges the dominant... Read more
Key finding: Argues that European integration has become a core dimension of political contestation with varying patterns of mass-elite attitudinal discrepancy across member states. The study emphasizes that these discrepancies—shaped by... Read more

2. What factors influence public attitudes towards political representation and minority group issues, such as gender, religion, migration, and reconciliation?

This research stream investigates how social identities, stereotypes, and political contexts shape public opinion about representatives from minority groups and policies aimed at addressing historical or social inequalities. It includes analyses of voter preferences for female leaders in the Middle East, Muslim attitudes toward political and economic liberalization in minority and majority contexts, public support for migrant protections amid violence, and indigenous reconciliation efforts.

Key finding: Finds that both male and female respondents across six MENA countries exhibit a pro-female bias in electoral preferences and competency evaluations, including in male-stereotyped leadership domains. This challenges... Read more
Key finding: Demonstrates that religiosity's association with political and economic liberalization among Azeri Muslims varies by context: in Muslim-majority illiberal Azerbaijan, higher religiosity correlates with support for political... Read more
Key finding: Using nationally representative Mexican survey data, it shows that empathic perspective taking—through personal crime victimization and imagining oneself as a potential victim—significantly increases public support for... Read more
Key finding: Identifies that public support for Indigenous reconciliation policies in Canada is shaped not only by prejudicial attitudes but also by partisan and religious identities and broader policy preferences. The study develops a... Read more
Key finding: Documents increasing openness toward immigrants in Slovenia over recent years but reveals persistent socio-political divides characterized by entrenched tensions between supporters and opponents of immigration. The paper... Read more

3. How do political communication channels and external actors influence public opinion and political discourse in emerging democracies and transitional contexts?

This theme addresses the role of media, social networks, and global power dynamics in shaping public opinion and political narratives, particularly in developing democracies or regions undergoing political transitions. It covers how social media affect political participation and polarization, and how rising powers like China influence perceptions in the Global South vis-à-vis traditional Western actors.

Key finding: Uses survey data to demonstrate a strong influence of social media activity on political discourse, public opinion formation, and political polarization during Nigeria’s 2023 elections. The study finds that social media... Read more
Key finding: Through analysis of global opinion data and policy choices, the paper argues that negative perceptions of US and EU neglect or interference in the Global South contribute to growing Chinese soft power influence. It critically... Read more
Key finding: Analyzes Albanian print media opinion pieces to show how the genre is heavily politicized, often overlapping with political propaganda and elite agendas rather than serving the public interest or fostering genuine informed... Read more
Key finding: Provides a comprehensive overview of the methodological and contextual challenges of conducting public opinion research in developing and democratizing countries, emphasizing issues such as social heterogeneity, poverty,... Read more

All papers in Public Opinion (Political Science)

Using data from the European Social Survey and applying a range of statistical techniques, this policy brief examines how political orientation and modes of political engagement relate to health outcomes across Europe. The analysis... more
This article explores growing support for mano dura (iron-fist) policies in four historically safe Latin American democracies: Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Uruguay. Through 32 focus groups with 259 participants, we find that mano dura... more
¿Qué información tuvo el votante promedio a lo largo de la historia para formar su juicio político y quién la jerarquizó? La relación entre democracia e información no es una preocupación nueva que inauguran las redes sociales y la... more
En este documento se identifican los factores asociados a la percepción de inseguridad en la población de 15 años o más en la República Dominicana en el año 2022, utilizando datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Hogares de Propósitos Múltiples... more
Sumario.- 1. La competencia internacional entre Francia e Inglaterra. 2. El papel del Estado. La acción del Estado ilustrado. 3. La acción de las redes mercantiles. 4. La vuelta al punto de partida. Preguntas sin contestar.
This paper examines the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and argues that the movement should be understood as a fundamentally fascist organization rather than merely a nationalist movement seeking Ukrainian independence.... more
Entre más
responsables
políticamente sean
los gobernantes
con los ciudadanos,
más alta será la
calidad (o, mejor,
las calidades) de la
democracia.
Lo que está cambiando en Venezuela y lo que probablemente no le han dicho Tres movimientos institucionales que redefinen el riesgo penal para empresarios y ejecutivos hoy. Venezuela está atravesando una reconfiguración institucional que... more
Second-generation social media platforms such as TikTok have become key infrastructures for the economic participation of street-level entrepreneurs operating within the bazaar economies of the Global South. In these contexts,... more
La perspectiva decolonial del desarrollo y su relación con las culturas y educación en comunidades de la Sierra Sur oaxaqueña .
Cet article étudie les différentes formes de l’éducation du caractère dans la pensée de James Mill. Selon cette étude, Mill donne la priorité à l’éducation du caractère intellectuel plutôt qu’à l’éducation du caractère moral, lequel est... more
The global policy landscape has coalesced around "Trustworthy AI" as a normative goal for AI governance and development. However, despite its ubiquity, there is no widespread agreement on the definition of the term. Based on a convened... more
Los memes como fenómenos de retoma cultural. Una perspectiva semioantropológica En Del Coto, María Rosa (2024). Medios y retomas III: reescrituras en tiempos de convergencia. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires: Biblos. 105-128 Presentación... more
La serie de investigaciones en Semiótica de los Medios que venimos desarrollando desde 2011, en proyectos UBACYT dirigidos por la Prof. María Rosa del Coto 1 , hicieron foco en fenómenos de retomas interdiscursivas en medios de... more
VI JORNADAS DE HISTORIA MARÍTIMA
CICLO DE CONFERENCIAS. NOVIEMBRE 1990
MADRID, 1990
Los movimientos sociales son formas de acción colectiva que pueden plantearse conceptualmente como expresiones de descontento que manifiestan exclusiones, injusticias o desigualdades frente a la realidad que viven los actores sociales. En... more
Este artículo aborda una mirada histórica global y comparada del franquismo partiendo de la frase de Marc Bloch según la cual los individuos se parecen más a su tiempo que a sus padres. Si la tomamos como verdadera, tras 1945 la... more
Turkish immigration to the United States is not very well documented despite its long history. Turkish American identity formations and integration in the United States have received little or no attention from scholars in various social... more