Numbered voices

Description

Publisher description: Quantifying the American mood through opinion polls appears to be an unbiased means for finding out what people want. But in Numbered Voices, Susan Herbst demonstrates that the way public opinion is measured affects the use that voters, legislators, and journalists make of it. Exploring the history of public opinion in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, Herbst shows how numbers served both instrumental and symbolic functions, not only conveying neutral information but creating a basis authority. Addressing how the quantification of public opinion has affected contemporary politics and the democratic process, Herbst asks difficult but fundamental questions about the workings of American politics.

First Sentence

FORMALIZED TABULATION of political opinions began in the city-states of ancient Greece, where elections were viewed as central components of the democratic process.

Subjects

Series Statement

• American politics and political economy series

Other Editions

• Numbered voices: how opinion polling has shaped American politicsUniversity of Chicago Press1993-01-01
• Numbered VoicesPaperbackUniversity Of Chicago Press1995-08-15