American Politics Today - Essentials (3rd Ed)

142 CHAPTER 5|PUBLIC OPINION AND THE MEDIA

of Congress and the government bureaucracy for shortcomings, portraying them-

selves as standing between their constituents and an ineffi cient government.

Policy Preferences

In a diverse country of more than 300 million, people care about a wide range of

policies. One useful measure of Americans’ policy preferences is the policy mood,

which captures the public’s collective demands for government action on domes-

tic policies.^59 Policy mood measures are constructed from surveys that address a

wide range of policy questions.^60

Fluctuations in the policy mood in America have led to changes in defense spend-

ing, environmental policy, and race-related policies, among others—and have infl u-

enced elections.^61 Figure 5.4 shows that when the policy mood leans in a liberal

direction, such as in the early 1960s, conditions are ripe for an expansion of the fed-

eral government involving more spending and new programs. But when the policy

mood becomes more conservative, such as in the late 1970s and early 1980s, offi cials

generally enact smaller increases in government spending and fewer new programs.

Turning to specifi c issues, surveys show that most Americans focus on the

same issues: the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, economic conditions, energy

policy, health care, immigration, global warming, abortion, and gay rights.^62 The

policy mood The level of public
support for expanding the govern-
ment’s role in society; whether the
public wants government action on
a specifi c issue.

Source: Pew Research Center, “Obama Leadership Image Takes a Hit, GOP Ratings Decline,” Pew Research

Center, August 25, 2011, http://www.people-press.org/fi les/legacy-pdf/8-25-11%20Political%20Release.pdf (accessed

9/5/12).

TRUST IN GOVERNMENT

In America, trust in government varies widely over time. What factors drive these

changes?

FIGURE » 5.3

1958

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80%

1966 1974 1982 1990 1998 2006 2014

Economic revival;

popular president

(Reagan)

Financial

crisis

Watergate scandal;

poor economic

conditions

Aftermath of

September 11

attacks

Downgrade

of U.S. debt

Recession; unpopular

Percentage saying they trust the federalgovernment to do what is right “just about president (Clinton)

always” or “most of the time”