Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-t27h7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-18T21:16:38.186Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Framing Public Opinion in Competitive Democracies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2007

DENNIS CHONG  and
JAMES N. DRUCKMAN
DENNIS CHONG
Affiliation:
Northwestern University
JAMES N. DRUCKMAN
Affiliation:
Northwestern University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

What is the effect of democratic competition on the power of elites to frame public opinion? We address this issue first by defining the range of competitive contexts that might surround any debate over a policy issue. We then offer a theory that predicts how audiences, messages, and competitive environments interact to influence the magnitude of framing effects. These hypotheses are tested using experimental data gathered on the opinions of adults and college students toward two policy issues—the management of urban growth and the right of an extremist group to conduct a rally. Our results indicate that framing effects depend more heavily on the qualities of frames than on their frequency of dissemination and that competition alters but does not eliminate the influence of framing. We conclude by discussing the implications of these results for the study of public opinion and democratic political debate.

Type
ARTICLES
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 101 , Issue 4 , November 2007 , pp. 637 - 655
Copyright
© 2007 by the American Political Science Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Althaus Scott L., and Young Mie Kim. 2006. “Priming Effects in Complex Environments.” Journal of Politics 68 (November): 960– 76.Google Scholar
Bargh John A., Wendy J. Lombardi, and E. Tory Higgins. 1988. “Automaticity of Chronically Accessible Constructs in Person X Situation Effects on Perception.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 55 (October): 599– 605.Google Scholar
Bartels Larry M. 2003. “Democracy with Attitudes.” In Electoral Democracy, eds. Michael Bruce MacKuen and George Rabinowitz. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 48– 82.
Bless Herbert, Klaus Fiedler, and Fritz Strack. 2004. Social Cognition. Hove, UK: Psychology Press.
Brewer Paul R. 2001. “Value Words and Lizard Brains.” Political Psychology 22 (March): 45– 64.Google Scholar
Brewer Paul R. 2003. “Values, Political Knowledge, and Public Opinion about Gay Rights: A Framing-Based Account.” Public Opinion Quarterly 67 (Summer): 173– 201.Google Scholar
Brewer Paul R., and Kimberly Gross. 2005. “Values, Framing, and Citizens' Thoughts about Policy Issues.” Political Psychology 26 (December): 929– 48.Google Scholar
Cappella Joseph N., and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. 1997. Spiral of Cynicism. New York: Oxford University Press.
Chong Dennis. 1996. “Creating Common Frames of Reference on Political Issues.” In Political Persuasion and Attitude Change, eds. Diana C. Mutz, Paul M. Sniderman, and Richard A. Brody. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 195– 224.
Chong Dennis. 2000. Rational Lives: Norms and Values in Politics and Society. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Chong Dennis, and James N. Druckman. 2007a. “A Theory of Framing and Opinion Formation in Competitive Elite Environments.” Journal of Communication 57 (March): 99– 118.Google Scholar
Chong Dennis, and James N. Druckman. 2007b. “Framing Theory.” Annual Review of Political Science 10: 103– 126.Google Scholar
Chong Dennisand Yael Wolinsky-Nahmias. 2005. “Managing Voter Ambivalence in Growth and Conservation Compaigns.” In Ambivalence, Politics, and Public Policy., eds. Michael D. Martinez, and Stephen C. Craig. New York: Palgrave, 103– 125.
Cobb Michael D., and James H. Kuklinski. 1997. “Changing Minds: Political Arguments and Political Persuasion.” American Journal of Political Science 41 (January): 88– 121.Google Scholar
Dahl Robert A. 1971. Polyarchy. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Delli Carpini Michael X., and Scott Keeter. 1996. What Americans Know about Politics and Why It Matters. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Druckman James N. 2001a. “Evaluating Framing Effects.” Journal of Economic Psychology 22 (February): 91– 101.Google Scholar
Druckman James N. 2001b. “On The Limits of Framing Effects.” Journal of Politics 63 (November): 1041– 66.Google Scholar
Druckman James N. 2001c. “The Implications of Framing Effects for Citizen Competence.” Political Behavior 23 (September): 225– 56.Google Scholar
Druckman James N. 2004. “Political Preference Formation.” American Political Science Review 98 (November): 671– 86.Google Scholar
Druckman James N., and Kjersten R. Nelson. 2003. “Framing and Deliberation.” American Journal of Political Science 47 (October): 728– 44.Google Scholar
Eagly Alice H. and Shelly Chaiken. 1993. The Psychology of Attitudes. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace.
Entman Robert M. 1993. “Framing.” Journal of Communication 43 (Fall): 51– 58.Google Scholar
Fazio Russell H. 1995. “Attitudes as Object-Evaluation Associations.” In Attitude Strength: Antecedents and Consequences, eds. Richard E. Petty, and Jon A. Krosnick. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 247– 282.
Fazio Russell H., and Michael A. Olson. 2003. “Implicit Measures in Social Cognition Research.” Annual Review of Psychology 54: 297– 327.Google Scholar
Gamson William A., and Andre Modigliani. 1987. “The Changing Culture of Affirmative Action.” In Research in Political Sociology. ed. Richard D. Braungart. Vol. 3, Greenwich, CT: JAI, 133– 177.
Hansen Kasper M. N.d. “The Sophisticated Public.” Scandinavian Political Studies. Forthcoming.
Herr Paul M. 1986. “Consequences of Priming.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 51 (December): 1106– 15.Google Scholar
Higgins E. Tory. 1996. “Knowledge Activation: Accessibility, Applicability, and Salience. In Social Psychology, eds. E. Tory Higgins, and Arie W. Kruglanski. New York: Guilford Press, 133– 168.
Higgins E. Tory, and Gillian King. 1981. “Social Constructs.” In Personality, Cognition, and Social Interaction, eds. Nancy Cantor, and John F. Kihlstrom, Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 69– 121.
Higgins E. Tory, Gillian King, and G. H. Mavin. 1982. “Individual Construct Accessibility and Subjective Impressions and Recall.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 43 (July): 35– 47.Google Scholar
Iyengar Shanto. 1991. Is Anyone Responsible? Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Key V. O. 1966. The Responsible Electorate. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Kühberger Anton. 1998. “The Influence of Framing on Risky Decisions.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 75 (July): 23– 55.Google Scholar
Kuklinski James H., Paul J. Quirk, Jennifer Jerit, and Robert F. Rich. 2001. “The Political Environment and Citizen Competence.” American Journal of Political Science 45 (April): 410– 24.Google Scholar
Lau Richard R. 1989. “Construct Accessibility and Electoral Choice.” Political Behavior 11 (March): 5– 32.Google Scholar
Lodge Milton, and Charles Taber. 2000. “Three Steps toward a Theory of Motivated Political Reasoning.” In Elements of Reason: Cognition, Choice, and the Bounds of Rationality, eds. Arthur Lupia, Mathew D. McCubbins, and Samuel L. Popkin. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 183– 213.
Martin Leonard L., and John W. Achee. 1992. “Beyond Accessibility.” In The Construction of Social Judgments, eds. Leonard L. Martin, and Abraham Tesser. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 195– 216.
Nabi Robin L. 2003. “Exploring the Framing Effects of Emotion.” Communication Research 30 (April): 224– 47.Google Scholar
Nelson Thomas E., Rosalee A. Clawson, and Zoe M. Oxley. 1997. “Media Framing of a Civil Liberties Conflict and Its Effect on Tolerance.” American Political Science Review 91 (September): 567– 83.Google Scholar
Nelson Thomas E., and Zoe M. Oxley. 1999. “Issue Framing Effects and Belief Importance and Opinion.” Journal of Politics 61 (November): 1040– 67.Google Scholar
Nelson Thomas E., Zoe M. Oxley, and Rosalee A. Clawson. 1997. “Toward a Psychology of Framing Effects.” Political Behavior 19 (September): 221– 46.Google Scholar
O'Keefe Daniel J. 2002. Persuasion. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Pan Zhongdang, and Gerald M. Kosicki. 2001. “Framing as a Strategic Action in Publication Deliberation.” In Framing Public Life, eds. Stephen D. Reese, Oscar H. Gandy Jr., and August E. Grant. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 35– 66.
Petty Richard E. and John T. Cacioppo. 1986. Communication and Persuasion. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Petty Richard E., and Duane T. Wegener. 1998. “Attitude Change.” In Handbook of Social Psychology. 4th ed., Vol. II, eds. Daniel T. Gilbert, Susan T. Fiske, and Gardner Lindzey. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Price Vincent, and David Tewksbury. 1997. “News Values and Public Opinion.” In Progress in Communication Sciences. eds. George A. Barnett, and Franklin J. Boster. Vol. 13, Greenwich, CT: Ablex Publishing Corporation.
Riker William H. 1982. Liberalism against Populism. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
Riker William H. 1995. “The Political Psychology of Rational Choice Theory.” Political Psychology 16 (March): 23– 44.Google Scholar
Schattschneider E. E. 1960. The Semisovereign People. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
Sherman Steven J., Diane M. Mackie, and Denise M. Driscoll. 1990. “Priming and the Differential Use of Dimensions in Evaluation.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 16 (September): 405– 18.Google Scholar
Sniderman Paul M. 2000 “Taking Sides.” In Elements of Reason, eds. Arthur Lupia, Mathew D. McCubbins, and Samuel L. Popkin. New York: Cambridge University Press, 60– 84.
Sniderman Paul M., and John Bullock. 2004. “A Consistency Theory of Public Opinion and Political Choice.” In Studies in Public Opinion, eds. Willem E. Saris, and Paul M. Sniderman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 337– 358.
Sniderman Paul M., and Matthew S. Levendusky. 2007. “An Institutional Theory of Political Choice.” In The Oxford Handbook of Political Behavior, eds. Russell J. Dalton, and Hans-Dieter Klingemann. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sniderman Paul M., and Sean M. Theriault. 2004. “The Structure of Political Argument and the Logic of Issue Framing.” In Studies in Public Opinion, eds. Willem E. Saris, and Paul M. Sniderman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 133– 165.
Stapel Diederik, Willem Koomen, and Marcel Zeelenberg. 1998. “The Impact of Accuracy Motivation on Interpretation, Comparison, and Correction Processes.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74 (April): 878– 93.Google Scholar
Sullivan John L., and John E. Transue. 1999. “The Psychological Underpinnings of Democracy.” Annual Review of Psychology 50: 625– 50.Google Scholar
Tomz Michael, Jason Wittenberg, and Gary King. 1999. “Clarify.” Version 1.2.1 Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, June 1. http://gking.harvard.edu/http://gking.harvard.edu/. Fall, 2000.
Zaller John. 1992. The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Zaller John. 1996. “The Myth of Massive Media Impact Revived.” In Political Persuasion and Attitude Change, eds. Diana C. Mutz, Paul M. Sniderman, and Richard A. Brody. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press, 17– 78.
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.