Measuring Preference Intensity

• In Event: Poster Session: State Politics & Conflict Processes: Violence and Contention by States and Non-State Actors
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: State Politics

Abstract

Preference intensity is central to public opinion and political decision making. We employ quadratic voting for survey research to measure the preference intensity of 10 state-level policies among the American public. We validate the quadratic voting measures and compare them to preference intensity measures elicited from conventional Likert items. We then examine whether preference intensity predicts actual state-level policy outcomes for each of the 10 policy issues. Our study contribute to our understanding of whether preference intensity affects congruence between public opinion and public policy outcomes in the American states.

Authors

• Zachary F. Peskowitz, Emory University

• Eddy Yeung, University of Oxford