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1. The meaning of ideology in America; 2. Operational ideology: data; 3. Operational ideology: the estimates; 4. Ideological self-identification; 5. The operational-symbolic disconnect; 6. Conservatism as social identity; 7. Conflicted conservatism; 8. Ideology and outcomes.
This book explains why the American public thinks of itself as conservative, but supports liberal positions on specific policy matters.
Christopher Ellis is assistant professor of Political Science at Bucknell University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and previously taught at North Carolina State University. His work has been published in the Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Political Science and Politics, Electoral Studies and the Journal of Public Opinion and Parties. James A. Stimson earned his B.A. from the University of Minnesota and his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina. Stimson is former President of the Midwest Political Science Association and Treasurer of the American Political Science Association. He has authored or co-authored six books: Yeas and Nays (with Donald R. Matthews), Issue Evolution (with Edward G. Carmines), Public Opinion in America, The Macro Polity (with Robert S. Erikson and Michael B. MacKuen), Tides of Consent and Mandate Politics (with Larry Grossback and David A. M. Peterson). A Fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has won the Heinz Eulau and Gladys Kammerer Awards of the American Political Science Association. He is founding editor of Political Analysis and has authored articles in all the major journals of political science.
“With Ideology in America, Christopher Ellis and James Stimson have
taken a giant step forward in understanding the complex and
seemingly contradictory character of left and right in America.
Their book not only explains the simultaneous presence of symbolic
conservatism and operational liberalism, but points to perhaps the
most important constituency in elections, the conflicted
conservative.”
—Thomas B. Edsall, Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore
Professor, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, author of Age of
Austerity
“In typically insightful fashion, Ellis and Stimson expound on a
fundamental issue in political science: ideology. Jam-packed with
data, this book provides an historical account of ideology and the
paradox of conservative symbolism and liberal policy preferences.
The driving explanations for the paradox, which are Americans’
attitudes towards religion and culture as well as the policy frames
of elite actors, are thoroughly documented and convincing. Ellis
and Stimson’s pathbreaking work is a must-read for scholars in
American politics and political thought.”
—Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier, University Distinguished Scholar, Ohio
State University
“This is one of the most important books on public opinion to
appear in the past several decades. And over and above its
scholarly contribution, it should be required reading for every
political pundit who has ever spoken or penned words to the effect
that ‘the United States is a center right country.’ American public
opinion is much more complicated.”
—Morris P. Fiorina, Stanford University
“Ellis and Stimson shed much-needed light on the complex nature of
ideology in the United States by examining the distinction between
operational and symbolic ideology in the American public. Ideology
in America is clear, engaging, and insightful—required reading for
scholars and students of public opinion, political polarization,
and American political development.”
—Sunshine Hillygus, Duke University
“In this excellent book, Ellis and Stimson use a sophisticated
methodological approach to trace the ebb and flow of ideology in
American public opinion over the past 75 years. Their insights are
relevant to a variety of audiences. For journalists, commentators,
and pundits, Ellis and Stimson show that the public’s
liberal-conservative orientations cannot be extracted readily
either from election results or from public opinion survey
questions. For academics, Stimson and Ellis elaborate on the
scholarly consensus that the mass public is largely ‘innocent of
ideology.’ Instead, they demonstrate systematic patterns in the
ways that citizens ‘misuse’ liberal-conservative terminology to
describe their own political orientations. This book represents a
major step forward in understanding how ordinary citizens think
about the political world.”
—William G. Jacoby, Department of Political Science, Michigan State
University; ICPSR, University of Michigan
“In this extended treatment of the paradox of symbolic conservatism
and operational liberalism Ellis and Stimson present important
evidence for the continuation of the phenomenon first uncovered by
Free and Cantril in 1967. They demonstrate that these ‘conflicted
conservatives’ remain numerous despite the apparent polarization of
the electorate in the recent past, that they differ from the
general electorate, and are a force sufficient to change close
presidential election outcomes. This is accomplished against the
background of a fascinating account of the decline in the symbolic
resonance of liberal identification since the 1930s, and of the
non-political meanings of conservatism.”
—Kathleen Knight, Columbia University
“This is a compelling book on an interesting and important topic.
Ellis and Stimson provide a driving analysis of seemingly every
facet of the match and mismatch between people’s policy preferences
and ideological identification in America. Predictably strong on
social science, the book also is accessible, readable, and
engaging. Ideology in America is as good as it gets.”
—Christopher Wlezien, Temple University
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