Synopses & Reviews
A collection of original essays drawing together international research on the media's use of opinion polls, covering both theoretical and methodological approaches.
Review
"Opinion polls have changed the political process probably as much as modern media. This is why we need thorough evidence on their role, effects, and institutional environment. This book provides this evidence from an international perspective and by first-rate authors."- Wolfgang Donsbach, Dresden University of Technology, Germany "Backed by leading public opinion and communication scholars, Christina Holtz-Bacha and Jesper Strömbäck have created the best volume yet on the interplay of polls and media. Essential reading for scholars, practitioners, and students—indeed for anyone interested in the subject."- Thomas E. Patterson, Harvard University, USA
Synopsis
Opinion Polls and the Media provides the most comprehensive analysis to date on the relationship between the media, opinion polls, and public opinion. Looking at the extent to which the media, through their use of opinion polls, both reflect and shape public opinion, it brings together a team of leading scholars and analyzes theoretical and methodological approaches to the media and their use of opinion polls. The contributors explore how the media use opinion polls in a range of countries across the world, and analyze the effects and uses of opinion polls by the public as well as political actors.
About the Author
CHRISTINA HOLTZ-BACHA is Professor and Chair in Communication Science at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. She has published widely on political communication and the media in German and international journals, including
The Sage Handbook of Political Advertising (co-edited, 2006),
The Professionalisation of Political Communication (co-edited, 2007) and the two-volume
Encyclopedia of Political Communication (co-edited, 2008).
JESPER STRÖMBÄCK is Lubbe NordstrÖm Professor and Chair in Journalism as well as Professor in Media and Communication at Mid Sweden University, Sweden. His booksinclude The Handbook of Election News Coverage Around the World (co-edited, 2008), Communicating Politics: Political Communication in the Nordic Countries (co-edited, 2008), and Global Political Marketing (co-edited, 2009).
Table of Contents
The Media and Their Use of Opinion Polls: Reflecting and Shaping Public Opinion;
J.StrömbäckPART I: THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES
Public Opinion and Opinion Polling: A Complex Relationship; S.Splichal
Regulation of Opinion Polls: A Comparative Perspective; T.Petersen
Methodological Trends and Controversies in the Media's Use of Opinion Polls; M.Traugott
PART II: THE MEDIA'S PUBLICATION OF OPINION POLLS
Opinion Polls and the Media in Germany: A Productive but Critical Relationship; C.Holtz-Bacha
Opinion Polls and the Media in the United States; K.Francovic
Opinion Polls and the Media in Brazil; F.Biroli, L.F.Miguel and F.Ferreira Mota
Opinion Polls and the Media in Australia; S.Mills and R.Tiffen
Opinion Polls and the Media in South Africa; R.Mattes
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Public Opinion Polling in Taiwan; L.Willnat, Ven-hwei Lo and A.Aw
PART III: EFFECTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF PUBLISHED OPINION POLLS
Attitudinal and Behavioral Consequences of Published Opinion Polls; P.Moy and E.M.Rinke
Published Opinion Polls, Strategic Party Behavior, and News Management; J.Strömbäck
Opinion Polls, the Media and the Political System; C.Holtz-Bacha
Index