Suchergebnisse

Analysis is made of data collected in late 1974 by the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations by Louis Harris & Associates on public opinion of United States foreign policy. A sample of 1,513 responded to questions concerning international affairs. Policy issues were factor analyzed, using the principal components method. After throwing out variables with low correlations, the remaining 33 variables were factor analyzed, again using the principal components method with both varimax & oblique rotation. The results based on the varimax solution revealed 5 dimensions of foreign policy: (1) militarism, (2) involvement of the United States in world affairs, (3) world problems, (4) detente, & (5) support of the United Nations & other international organizations. People in higher education groups scored lower on the militarism dimension & higher on detente & international organizations. Persons with higher incomes were also inclined to support detente & international organizations. Mean scores for older people tended to be high in militarism, while younger people were more in favor of United States involvement. The South showed a high score in the militarism dimension & low in the detente. Party affiliation has an impact on scores within the militaristic area with independents being nonmilitaristic, Republicans being in favor of military involvement, & Democrats in between the two. Self-identified conservatives rated high on the militarism scale, low on involvement, & detente, & international organizations. Liberals were likely to be at the opposite end. 3 Tables. Modified HA.

Since the Vietnam War, public preferences on foreign policy issues have played a greater role in the US political process. Yet comparatively little is known about the manner in which attitudes on international affairs are formed & how they are related to political cognitions. Data from 2 studies of foreign policy opinion conducted by the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations in 1974 & 1978 are used to examine the question of how mass & elite opinion differs in a number of policy domains & determine whether these distinctions changed over the 4 years. The 1974 study consisted of personal interviews with a random national sample of 1,513 mass Rs & 328 elites; in 1978, 1,546 individuals from the general public & 366 elites were interviewed. Comparisons of % differences on identical questions between groups & between years are employed in analyzing these data. In general, there are patterns of difference in the foreign policy beliefs of the elites & the mass public, the most striking being in their "internationalist" view of the US role in world affairs, with smaller distinctions in the domains of Americanism, human rights, detente, world problems, & international organizations. 9 Tables. AA.

Experience the excitement that comes with being an active, engaged, and informed citizen. This latest edition includes a variety of updates including in-depth coverage of the 2012 elections and will help you understand the basic foundations of American government and why it all matters. - Back cover