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Collective Preferences in Democratic Politics

Collective Preferences in Democratic Politics

Hardback (13 Nov 2003)

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Publisher's Synopsis

Since so few people appear knowledgeable about public affairs, one might question whether collective policy preferences revealed in opinion surveys accurately convey the distribution of voices and interests in a society. This study, the first comprehensive treatment of the relationship between knowledge, representation, and political equality in opinion surveys, suggests some surprising answers. Knowledge does matter, and the way it is distributed in society can cause collective preferences to reflect disproportionately the opinions of some groups more than others. Sometimes collective preferences seem to represent something like the will of the people, but frequently they do not. Sometimes they rigidly enforce political equality in the expression of political viewpoints, but often they do not. The primary culprit is not any inherent shortcoming in the methods of survey research. Rather, it is the limited degree of knowledge held by ordinary citizens about public affairs. Accounting for these factors can help better appreciate thepossibilities for using opinion polls to represent the people's voice.

About the Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Cambridge University Press dates from 1534 and is part of the University of Cambridge. We further the University's mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence.

Book information

ISBN: 9780521820998
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Pub date:
DEWEY: 303.380973
DEWEY edition: 22
Language: English
Number of pages: 370
Weight: 650g
Height: 229mm
Width: 152mm
Spine width: 25mm