Presidents strive to respond to the will of the people. Sometimes politicians are hampered by the fact that the public may desire legislation that is unconstitutional or not feasible, but politicians do seem to strive towards making the public happy. Moreover, when there is a negative downturn in a party or president's popularity, the politicians seem especially likely to respond. "Negative public opinion can have a powerful impact on policymaking. Low standing in the polls may encourage a president to drop an unpopular proposal or to promote new, supposedly more popular proposals" (Manza & Cook, 2002).
In fact, when investigating the empirical evidence, it appears that public opinion does shape policy. Erikson, Mackuen, and Stimson examined the question of whether the government responds to changes in public opinion and their answer was an "unqualified 'Yes'" (2002). In fact, they found that "Mood affects policy activity two ways" (Erikson, Mackuen, & Stimson, 2002). First, public opinion changes which party is in power, because Democrats are perceived to be more liberal than Republicans, and "the electorate chooses the party composition based on its current mood" (Erikson, Mackuen, & Stimson, 2002). Furthermore, politicians, once elected, act in a way to avoid sanctions by the voters, so that, if there is a mood shift after an election, politicians may not act in a way reflecting their parties' traditional stances.
While it is clear that public opinion can help shape public policy, it is important to realize that the relationship between public policy and public opinion flows both ways. "Liberal policy breeds conservative mood and vice versa because popular liberal legislation lessens the perceived need for more liberal legislation and popular conservative legislation lessens the perceived need for more conservative legislation" (Erikson, Mackuen, & Stimson, 2002). In fact, public opinion polls do not demonstrate absolute mood, but rather reflect the relative mood of the public. Therefore, while public opinion shapes policy, policy also shapes opinion. As a whole, the American electorate is moderate, with shifts towards liberalism or conservatism in response to governmental actions. Therefore, even when the public seems happy with changes, if the government shifts too far to the left or the right, one can expect a swing in the other direction by the electorate.
References
Erikson, R., Mackuen, M. & Stimson, J. (2002). Public opinion and policy: Causal flow in a macro system mode. In J. Manza, F. Cook, and B. Page (Eds.), Navigating public opinion: polls, policy, and the future of American Democracy (pp.33-53). New York: Oxford University Press.
Manza, J. & Cook, F. (2002). The impact of public opinion on public policy: The state of the debate. In J. Manza, F. Cook, and B. Page (Eds.), Navigating public opinion: polls, policy, and the future of American…
Sample Source(s) Used
References
Erikson, R., Mackuen, M. & Stimson, J. (2002). Public opinion and policy: Causal flow in a macro system mode. In J. Manza, F. Cook, and B. Page (Eds.), Navigating public opinion: polls, policy, and the future of American Democracy (pp.33-53). New York: Oxford University Press.
Manza, J. & Cook, F. (2002). The impact of public opinion on public policy: The state of the debate. In J. Manza, F. Cook, and B. Page (Eds.), Navigating public opinion: polls, policy, and the future of American Democracy (pp.17-32). New York: Oxford University Press.
Related Documents
Study Document
Public Policy and Health
Public Policy and Health Increasing premium costs for managed care have considerable influence for America's workforce. The rise in the financial burden on the workforce to contribute to their health care plans to assist offset increasing premiums paid by business owners cause the workforce to drop the coverage. The number of the uninsured remains the most glaring evidence of the U.S. healthcare crisis. Regardless of opinion polls regularly depicting that a
Study Document
Opinion Polls Regarding Public Preference
Public Opinion Polls Regarding Public Preference Nazo Maghakian REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC OPINION POLLS Review and Analysis of Public Opinion Polls Regarding Public Preference What is Public Opinion Poll? Public Polling Changing History Charter of Values Support for the Charter Favor of the Charter Shifting of the Polls Public Fears Undecided Polls Minorities and the Rest of Canada Gender equality Stereotyping and Tension Policy responsiveness is a question that tends to rise during any political parties campaign. Policy responsiveness is described as the
Study Document
British Public Policy Over the
These actions, along with the ones taken to address the various economic issues that are facing the government and the country, will help to sway favorable opinions towards Labor. Where, the party will be seen as one that was able to transform itself in the aftermath of the expenses scandal. This is significant because in the world of politics perceptions are the reality. If Brown can change the focus
Study Document
American Public Policy
Steven Kelman's Making Public Policy: A Hopeful View of American Government Steven Kelman's 1998 book on politics is entitled Making Public Policy: A Hopeful View of American Government. This is a brief but accurate summary of the central thesis of Kelman's philosophy of what enables the American system of government to function as well as it does. Perhaps because of the contentious nature of the modern media, discussions of the American
Study Document
Public Administration: Policy Reform Supporting
This system is stated to be flawed as "The school board members have a vested interest in the success of the existing local school system and are reluctant to introduce a competitor into the marketplace, said charter school supporters." (O'Donoghue, 2010) Summary and Conclusion It is very likely that laws will be changed and policy reformed relating to charter schools in the state of Virginia as to do otherwise means to
Study Document
Policy Making I Explore Policy Making Process
Policy Making I explore policy making process issues reach public agenda-based Kingdon's model The policy making process and how issues reach the public agenda: Kingdon's model According to John W. Kingdon's book Agendas, alternatives, and public policy, simply because an idea is beneficial to the public interest does not necessarily mean that the idea will come to fruition and be enacted into law. An idea whose 'time has come' in the American system