Suchergebnisse

Political elites often present citizens with frames that define issues in terms of core values. This study tests two competing accounts of how citizens might process such frames. According to the "passive receiver" thesis, citizens process elite frames automatically, without engaging in critical thought. In contrast, the "thoughtful receiver" thesis holds that the impact of frames may depend on how favorably or unfavorably citizens respond to them. An experiment in value framing produced evidence more consistent with the thoughtful receiver thesis: The message that welfare reform is "tough love" influenced opinion only among those it did not anger, whereas the message that welfare reform is "cruel & inhumane" produced an effect only among those who judged it to be strong. More generally, these findings suggest that active processing of frames may limit the power of elite framing. 5 Tables, 1 Appendix, 30 References. Adapted from the source document.

Objective. This research note compares the views of the federal government held by federal government workers, their family members, their close friends, & state & local government workers to the views held by other US citizens. Methods. We analyze data from a 2000 survey of Washington, DC, metropolitan-area residents. Results. Respondents employed at any level of government -- not only federal but also state & local -- trust the federal government more than respondents with no ties to government. Being the family member or friend of a federal government employee has no impact on trust in government. Conclusions. A confidence gap divides government employees from the rest of the public. 2 Tables, 18 References. Adapted from the source document.

Although the American public's increasingly cynical views about human nature have drawn considerable attention from scholars, existing research says little about how interpersonal trust shapes mass foreign policy opinions. This study analyzes survey data to test the claim that citizens use their beliefs about human nature to reason about international affairs. The results indicate that cynical citizens are more likely than trusting citizens to endorse the principle of isolationism & to oppose cooperative forms of intervention in other nations' problems. Citizens' use of interpersonal trust as an information shortcut helps them to make inferences regarding a topic about which they typically know little, but such inferences are not necessarily realistic ones. 4 Tables, 49 References. Adapted from the source document.