144 CHAPTER 5|PUBLIC OPINION AND THE MEDIA
reform immigration laws may have more to do with confl ict within
Congress, pressures from a small number of intensely opinionated
voters, or the fact that economic concerns have overshadowed
immigration issues.
¾ Gay rights: A majority of Americans favor allowing gay couples to form
civil unions (partnershsips that confer the same legal standing as a
marriage), but only about one-third support allowing gay couples to
marry. A majority of Republicans oppose gay marriage, and a majority
of Democrats favor civil unions or marriage rights. Support for gay
marriage and civil unions is higher among younger voters than among
older voters.
¾ Climate change: Democrats are more likely to believe that global warm-
ing is real and is caused by humans; Republicans are more likely to think
that it isn’t happening or that it is a natural phenomenon that humans
have no decisive role in inf luencing. Given this split, members of Con-
gress and the president have been unable to agree on policies to combat
climate change.
As these examples and the data behind them illustrate, it is hard to fi nd an issue
on which nearly everyone agrees about what should be done. In a country as large and
diverse as the United States, this is no surprise. What is surprising is the potential
for compromise, which argues against describing American politics in terms of a cul-
ture war. Survey questions that ask about ideology or party identifi cation fi nd that
most Americans are moderates. While Americans in 2010 and 2011 disagreed on the
source of economic hard times, they agreed that the economy is the most important
problem. And questions on immigration and gay rights fi nd strong majority support
for certain policy changes. Thus, while disagreement is a fact of life in American poli-
tics, it may not be so profound as to eliminate the possibility for compromise.DOES PUBLIC OPINION INFLUENCE GOVERNMENT?
There is considerable evidence that government policy refl ects public opinion. Con-
gressional actions on a wide range of issues, from votes on defense policy to the confi r-
mation of Supreme Court nominees, are shaped by constituent opinion.^63 Moreover,
this linkage does not occur because politicians shape public opinion in line with what
they themselves prefer; rather, politicians behave in line with constituents’ opinions
because to do otherwise would place them in jeopardy of losing the next election.^64
Of course, all politicians, particularly those with a national audience such as
the president, work to shape public opinion. However, these eff orts mainly serve to
publicize opinions that people already hold, as a way of infl uencing other elected
offi cials rather than changing what citizens believe.^65
Recent events also speak to the infl uence of public opinion. Regarding the war
in Iraq, as long as public support remained high, members of Congress barely
criticized military strategy or reconstruction eff orts. However, as public support
waned, more members of Congress from both parties expressed reservations,
disagreed with President Bush’s claims that conditions were improving, and
suggested that Congress revise the war policy.^66 These comments li kely reinforced
declining public support for the war and may have infl uenced the pro-Democratic
shift in the 2006 and 2008 elections (see Chapter 7). The ebbing of combat opera-