Democratic Theory and Public OpinionBERELSON,, BERNARD
1952 Public Opinion Quarterly
doi: 10.1086/266397
Abstract Public opinion research has sometimes been neglectful of both the political content of its data and the extent to which it could vitalize the theory of democratic politics. In this, his Presidential Address before the seventh annual convention of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Bernard Berelson restates the fundamental requirements of a democratic politic and points out how opinion research can help a democracy to know itself, evaluate its achievements, and bring its practices more nearly in accord with its own fundamental ideals. Mr. Berelson's interest in this topic has developed out of, and is expressed in, the Elmira study of opinion formation during the Presidential campaign of 1948. In the preparation of this paper, he has benefited from discussions with Edward Shils, his former colleague at the University of Chicago, and from his reading of Mr. Shils' manuscript on Consensus and Liberty: The Social and Psychological Conditions of Political Democracy. At present, Mr. Berelson is Director of the Behavioral Sciences Division of the Ford Foundation. This content is only available as a PDF. © 1952, the American Association for Public Opinion Research
The Appeal of Communism to American Middle Class Intellectuals and Trade UnionistsKRUGMAN, HERBERT, E.
1952 Public Opinion Quarterly
doi: 10.1086/266398
Abstract What makes an individual become a communist, and what does communism make of the individual? Drawing on data derived from intensive interviews with 50 former members of the American Communist Party, the author discusses the varied attractions of communism for intellectuals and non-intellectuals, the needs which party membership may satisfy for them, and the effects which this membership may have upon them. This article is a preliminary presentation of materials being gathered by the Appeals of Communism Project, directed by Gabriel A. Almond and sponsored by the Center of International Studies at Princeton University. At the time the American study was conducted, Mr. Krugman was a Research Associate at the Center of International Studies. He has since rejoined the New York staff of Richardson, Bellows, Henry and Co. This content is only available as a PDF. © 1952, the American Association for Public Opinion Research
On Communication Models in the Social SciencesDEUTSCH, KARL, W.
1952 Public Opinion Quarterly
doi: 10.1086/266399
Abstract Models defined broadly by the author as structures of symbols and rules designed to correspond to the relevant points of an existing structure or process, are indispensable to the study and understanding of social organizations. In this article, Dr. Deutsch lays special emphasis on the implications of communications models for the evaluation of certain critical aspects of organizational behavior. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Conference on Organizational Behavior held under the auspices of the Organizational Behavior Project at Princeton University in March 1952. This content is only available as a PDF. © 1952, the American Association for Public Opinion Research
The Waukegan Study of Voter Turnout PredictionMILLER, MUNGO
1952 Public Opinion Quarterly
doi: 10.1086/266400
Abstract An increasingly close two-party balance in the United States presents the pre-election pollsters with many difficult problems. Not the least of these is the problem of turnout, and simple questions of intent, such as “Will you vote?”, have not proven to be effective predictors of actual turnout on election day. In this article, the author describes the construction and validity of several question batteries designed to predict turnout and discusses several factors which seem to be significantly associated with non-voting. Mungo Miller is Chairman of the Department of Psychology and Director of the Opinion Research Center at Lake Forest College. He is currently in Germany on the State Department Exchange Program as a specialist on interviewing methods. This content is only available as a PDF. © 1952, the American Association for Public Opinion Research
Political Independence in Washington StateSHOWEL, MORRIS
1952 Public Opinion Quarterly
doi: 10.1086/266401
Abstract The initiative and direct primary are both devices designed to strengthen the hand of the political independent. How do independent voters evaluate these mechanisms as against those which, like the state legislature and the political party, have traditionally been dominated by the professional politician? In the survey here reported, Dr. Showel found that independent voters were more likely to hold favorable attitudes towards the Washington blanket primary than were party voters. No significant associations between political independence and attitudes towards the other three mechanisms were not found. The author consequently concludes that the organized instruments of government may, perhaps, be in the process of moving out of the typical voter's immediate range of interest. Morris Showel is on the staff of the Washington Public Opinion Laboratory of the University of Washington. This content is only available as a PDF. © 1952, the American Association for Public Opinion Research
Some Limitations on the Arbitrary Classification of Non-Scale Response Patterns in a Guttman ScaleBORGATTA, EDGAR F.; HAYS, DAVID G.
1952 Public Opinion Quarterly
doi: 10.1086/266402
Abstract One of the recurrent problems in the use of Guttman scales is the proper assignment of non-scale response patterns. Rather that arbitrary classification by “perfect types,” the authors here argue for the placement of ambiguous patterns mid-way between the two most extreme latent classes to which they could be assigned by the minimum error criterion. They conclude, however, that latent distance analysis should, wherever possible, be used in preference to a Guttman scale and arbitrary classification. Edgar F. Borgatta and David G. Hays are both associated with the Laboratory of Social Relations at Harvard University. This content is only available as a PDF. © 1952, the American Association for Public Opinion Research
Linear Segments: A Technique for Scalogram AnalysisMARDER, ERIC
1952 Public Opinion Quarterly
doi: 10.1086/266403
Abstract Scalogram analysis using the Guttman board and the Guttman notation is often, according to the author, tedious, expensive, and visually unsatisfactory. He here proposes the use of a differently designed board and a system of linear notation. The advantages claimed for this procedure and equipment are a simpler application of visual criteria; greater ease in counting errors, ordering respondents, and combining response categories; and comparative simplicity and economy of construction of the board. Eric Marder is on the staff of International Public Opinion Research, Inc. This content is only available as a PDF. Author notes *The development of the method of linear-segments, and the construction of the board for its application were contracted for by The George Washington University through its Human Resources Research Office, Washington, D.C., operating under contract with the Department of the Army. © 1952, the American Association for Public Opinion Research