Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/20592 
Year of Publication: 
2004
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 1324
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Public opinion influences politicians, and therefore influences public policy decisions. What are the roles of self-interest, knowledge, and ideology in public opinion formation? And how do people learn about economic issues? Using a new, specially-designed survey, we find that most respondents express a strong desire to be well informed on economic policy issues, and that television is their dominant source of information. On a variety of major policy issues (e.g., taxes, social security, health insurance), ideology is the most important determinant of public opinion, while measures of self-interest are the least important. Knowledge about the economy ranks somewhere in between.
Subjects: 
ideology
public opinion
knowledge
JEL: 
E60
D70
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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