Public Opinion: Measuring the American Mind, Paperback

The fifth edition of Public Opinion: Measuring the American Mind provides a comprehensive, accessible introduction to public opinion in the United States and describes how public opinion data are collected, how they are used, and the role they play in the U.S. political system. Bardes and Oldendick introduce students to the history of polling and explain the factors a good consumer of polls should know in order to critically evaluate public opinion data. Public Opinion: Measuring the American Mind is the only text to devote significant space to the history of polling, the use of polling in America today, and to explain the methods used for survey research. In addition, the authors engage students by providing in-depth coverage of public opinion on such issues as political ideology, health care, race, and foreign policy, as well as an update and discussion of the major changes that have taken place on controversial issues such as gay marriage, gun control, and immigration. Updated to include the latest data from the American National Election Study and the General Social Surveys in 2012 and 2014, this lively, engaging text combines a comprehensive grounding in the nuts and bolts of the field with relevant, real-world examples.

Barbara A. Bardes is professor emerita of political science at the University of Cincinnati. She is the coauthor of American Government and Politics Today and Declarations of Independence: Women and Political Power in Nineteenth-Century American Fiction. Robert W. Oldendick is professor of political science at the University of South Carolina and directs the Institute for Public Service and Policy Research. He is the author or more than 30 articles on public opinion and survey methodology, appearing in journals such as Public Opinion Quarterly, the American Journal of Political Science, and the Journal of Politics.