Tuning in or tuning out : the influence of televised presidential addresses on public opinion /
The president's unrivalled ability to deliver a televised
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1997.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=736568431&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | The president's unrivalled ability to deliver a televised address to the nation has led many political pundits and commentators to portray televised addresses as the president's ultimate political weapon in influencing public opinion and achieving his political purposes. This belief, however, relies more on accumulated political folklore than on systematic study of the influence of televised addresses on public opinion. Although the president has the ability to give a televised address and the potential to influence public opinion with a televised address, formidable obstacles inhibit the president from using an address to influence public opinion. Unlike other studies examining the influence of televised addresses on public opinion, I use individual- level data to examine the television audience for each address and measure the influence of televised addresses on public opinion. The data come from a unique set of national opinion surveys taken after 12 of President Reagan's nationally televised addresses from 1981 to 1984. These opinion surveys were conducted by Richard Wirthlin, who served as Reagan's pollster throughout Reagan's years in the White House. Questions used in these surveys allow me to examine how many people watch televised addresses, the characteristics of the people who watch the addresses, why some speeches attract larger audiences than others, the president's effectiveness at communicating his message to the public, and with whom the president is most effective communicating his message. In answering these questions we not only gain a better understanding of why some televised addresses succeed while others fail at influencing public opinion, but also a better appreciation of the obstacles the president must overcome in using televised addresses to influence public opinion. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Political Science". |
| Physical Description: | 2 volumes (xix, 417 leaves) : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references: pages 403-416. |