Making Sense of Public Opinion - American Discourses About Immigration and Social Programs

"Americans express contradictory views on immigration and social welfare programs. Claudia Strauss proposes that these views are formed not from standard ideologies or broad values, but from conventional ways of speaking about topics. The wording of a survey question or political message may cue one specific discourse, while a slightly different wording can trigger opposing opinions held by the same speaker. By identifying and describing common vernacular discourses, this book illustrates how discourses construct our opinions on immigration and social welfare. This study draws on interviews with people from various backgrounds to demonstrate how we acquire conventional discourses from our opinion communities. Immigration and Social Programs explains whatconventional discourses are, how to study them, and why they are fundamental elements of public opinion and political culture"--

List of contents

Part I. Overview: 1. Conventional discourses, public opinion, and political culture; 2. Analysis of conventional discourses: backgrounds and methods; 3. Conventional discourses and personal lives; Part II. Immigration: 4. Public opinion about immigration; 5. 'Too many immigrants' and discourses about economic costs and benefits; 6. Discourses about legality, illegality, and national security; 7. Discourses about immigration and American culture; 8. Discourses about immigration causes and contexts; Part III. Social Welfare Programs: 9. Public opinion about social welfare programs; 10. Discourses about limitations of government programs; 11. Discourses about personal responsibility and benefits for the deserving; 12. Discourses about caring for self, family, community, and nation; 13. Discourses about social causes of economic insecurity; Part IV. Conclusion: 14. Questions and implications.

About the author

Claudia Strauss is Professor of Anthropology at Pitzer College. She is the author of A Cognitive Theory of Cultural Meaning (Cambridge University Press, 1997) with Naomi Quinn and co-editor of Human Motives and Cognitive Models (Cambridge University Press, 1992).

Product details

• Authors: Claudia Strauss, Claudia (Pitzer College Strauss, Strauss Claudia
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.01.2014
• EAN: 9781107688698
• ISBN: 978-1-107-68869-8
• No. of pages: 454
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; USA, Sociology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Emigration & Immigration, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Human Services, Social issues & processes, United States of America, USA, Social welfare and social services, Migration, immigration and emigration, Social and ethical issues, Public opinion and polls, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Activism & Social Justice, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Opinion Polling, Relating to migrant groups / diaspora communities or peoples