Public Opinion Research
- Do Polls Form Public Opinion?From the American Historical Association
- Gallup Key TrendsAn A-Z list of the key trends affecting policy decisions.
Influencing Public Opinion
Memes to Movements by
A global exploration of the internet meme as an agent of pop culture, politics, protest, and propaganda on and offline, and how they will save or destroy us all. Internet memes are one of today's most unexpectedly potent and creative forms, born of digital culture and -- more and more -- in dialogue with real life. A photo of protesters, for example, in Ferguson, Missouri raising their hands in a gesture of resistance gets replicated eight thousand miles away in Hong Kong, where dissidents are fighting for voting rights. Or a viral video of a presidential candidate-elect can become the impetus for an international march of women in pink "pussy-hats," itself a viral meme come to life. In the long, winding road from grumpy cat photos, internet memes have become a central concept of modern protest. Using social media-driven movements as her guide, technologist and digital media scholar An Xiao Mina unpacks the mechanics of memes and how they operate to reinforce, amplify, and shape today's politics. She finds that the "silly" stuff of meme culture -- the photo remixes, the selfies, the Youtube songs and the pun-tastic hashtags -- are fundamentally intertwined with how we find and affirm one another, direct attention to human rights and social justice issues, build narratives, and make culture. Crucially, she reveals how in parts of the world where public dissension is downright dangerous, memes can belie contentious political opinions that would incur drastic consequences if expressed outright. And further, she examines the future of internet memes as tools in both anti-authoritarian progressive circles and government propaganda. Memes to Movements unveils the transformative power of memes, for better and worse. In a time when our movements are growing more complex and open-ended, Mina brings a fresh and sharply innovative take on the media discourse.
The SAGE Handbook of Propaganda by
The SAGE Handbook of Propaganda unpacks the ever-present and exciting topic of propaganda to explain how it invades the human psyche, in what ways it does so, and in what contexts.As a beguiling tool of political persuasion in times of war, peace, and uncertainty, propaganda incites people to take, often violent, action, consciously or unconsciously. This pervasive influence is particularly prevalent in world politics and international relations today. In this interdisciplinary Handbook, the editors have gathered together a group of world-class scholars from Europe, America, Asia, and the Middle East, to discuss leadership propaganda, war propaganda, propaganda for peace marketing, propaganda as a psychological tool, terror-enhanced propaganda, and the contemporary topics of internet-mediated propaganda.Unlike previous publications on the subject, this book brings to the forefront current manifestations and processes of propaganda such as Islamist, and Far Right propaganda, from interdisciplinary perspectives.In its four parts, the Handbook offers researchers and academics of propaganda studies, peace and conflict studies, media and communication studies, political science and governance marketing, as well as intelligence and law enforcement communities, a comprehensive overview of the tools and context of the development and evolution of propaganda from the twentieth century to the present:Part One: Concepts, Precepts and Techniques in Propaganda ResearchPart Two: Methodological Approaches in Propaganda ResearchPart Three: Tools and Techniques in Counter-Propaganda ResearchPart Four: Propaganda in Context
Pew Research Center: Forming Political Views as an Individual
- Pew Research Quiz: Where do you fit in the political typology?
Take a quiz to find out which one of our nine political types is your best match, compared with a nationally representative survey of more than 10,000 U.S. adults. - Pew Research: News and Social Media
Digital news has become an important part of Americans’ news media diets, with social media playing a crucial role in news consumption. Today, half of U.S. adults get news at least sometimes from social media.From the site: Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.
Videos
The Brainwashing of My Dad by Publication Date: 2016This film looks at the rise of right-wing media through the lens of the filmmaker’s World War II vet father, who transformed from a non-political Democrat into an angry, right-wing fanatic after discovering talk radio on his lengthy commute to work. We learn that this is a common phenomenon, and, startlingly, that it is the result of the way the media has developed over the last 30-40 years. Beginning with the work of Roger Ailes to create a media for the GOP during Nixon’s campaign, she traces various developments that have changed the nation’s political direction and culture. This phenomenon has created the biggest division in the US since the Civil War.
The Climate Change Denial Industry by Publication Date: 2014This episode of The Green Interview features James Hoggan, the author of Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming . He explains how oil and gas companies and their PR firms manufactured the false debate on climate change. Hoggan, who works in the public relations industry himself, explains how public relations techniques allow businesses to use psychology to shape public opinion. Hoggan discusses the climate change deniers, the use of industry-sponsored propaganda and how ethical business should be conducted.
Media & Voting Outcomes
Opinions Throughout History: Voters' Rights by ISBN: 1787857026Publication Date: 2019...how public opinion influenced action on voters' rights, from the founding of the country, when most states limited the right to vote to property-owning males, to the establishment in 2017 of the Presidential Advisory Commission of Election Integrity, and beyond, to how voter suppression efforts affected the 2018 elections.
Polls, Expectations, and Elections by ISBN: 9780739191507Publication Date: 2014TV news making and presidential campaigns
Redistricting by ISBN: 9781538149652Publication Date: 2021This authoritative overview of election redistricting at the congressional, state legislative, and local level provides offers an overview of redistricting for students and practitioners. The updated second edition pays special attention to the significant redistricting controversies of the last decade, from the Supreme Court to state courts.
