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The assumptions underlying the mass survey & student-based analyses supporting the widespread generalization that higher levels of education positively impact on political behaviors & attitudes are challenged with questionnaire data obtained from 2 samples of Coll students & their non-Coll siblings (N = 124 student-sibling pairs from 1973 & 242 from 1974). An alternative explanation for the observed differences in political orientations across different educational groups, the self-selection hypothesis, receives stronger empirical support than the traditional education model. 2 Tables, 10 References. Modified HA.

This study examines voting and contacting public officials as two forms of local political participation in the suburban community of Garland, Texas. Voting and contacting are positively, but not very strongly, related. Two variables associate significantly with voting and contacting: (1) education level, which has a stronger relationship with voting than with contacting, and (2) interest in city government, which has a stronger relationship with contacting than with voting. These two correlates operate almost independently of each other. A typology of participants is presented and examined, and the utility of contacting as a linkage path in democratic societies is discussed.

Abstract
In the USA, politics often dominates the conversation surrounding science and related technologies. We also live in times of high political polarization, leading to political debate over scientific discoveries and subsequent policy implications. Given these dynamics, there is much to be learned about the politicization of science, individuals' policy views, and the public's relationship with the communication and interpretation of scientific findings. Agencies are often responsible for facilitating scientific research and framing its policy relevance for decision makers and the public. This paper uses data from a large national public opinion survey to investigate citizen attitudes about government science agencies. We theorize that disparities between objective and self-assessed scientific knowledge coupled with ideological cues help frame citizen evaluations of agencies. We find that individuals' political ideologies and disparities between knowledge types shape citizen assessments of energy-related scientific agencies. These findings have important implications for our understanding of public acceptance of the work of government science agencies.

Abstract
Literature in environmental public opinion has recently focused on the linkages between biophysical conditions and opinion formation. Where environmental issues and weather are more severe, individuals have been shown to have greater perception of environmental risk and greater support for environmental protection. Perceptions, however, do not always reflect actual weather, and perceptions may actually matter more when it comes to the formation of opinions. This paper explores this possibility in the context of drought, examining what variables determine individual awareness of drought and further exploring how drought awareness influences risk perception and policy preferences. Using data from two nationally representative probability-based panel surveys, as well as data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, the analysis indicates that while drought severity is the largest predictor of drought awareness, ideological and demographic variables also play a role. Importantly, drought awareness is actually a stronger predictor of concern for water shortages and support for water policy than drought severity, showing that understanding what determines drought awareness may be crucial for building policy support.

Studies linking local issue severity to public opinion often treat the effect as homogeneous, suggesting a straightforward relationship between issue exposure and policy opinions. It is more likely that individuals perceive local issues in conditional ways. We advance a theory of motivated reasoning whereby worldviews act as a lens through which individuals interpret the world around them. When the observed environment conforms to individuals' prior beliefs, they will be even more likely to perceive risk and call for policy action. When the information presented to them is incongruent with their worldview, increasing issue severity will have a minimal effect. We test our theory by combining an indicator of water scarcity with data from two nationally representative, probability-based panel surveys about water issues in the United States. Analyzing interactive models predicting risk perception and policy preferences, we find that water scarcity drives individuals with opposing environmental worldviews even further apart.