What's the Problem? Perceiving Social Problems and Changing Policy Attitudes

• In Event: Policy Attitudes

Abstract

How do citizens form their policy attitudes? Research has shown that some policy relevant information changes attitudes but some doesn’t. I argue that policy attitudes are based partly on perceptions of the problems those policies are intended to address. This argument shifts focus toward people’s perceptions of societal problems, the antecedents of these perceptions, and how new information may change them. Information that changes the perceived seriousness of a problem should have consequences for policy attitudes. The more serious it appears, the more apt people should be to support ameliorative policies. I explore the potential for information that provides reference points, context from the past or other similar places, to help people assess the seriousness of problems, and whether changes in their perceived seriousness have consequences for policy attitudes. Using observational data and two experiments embedded in a nationally representative survey, I explore the relationships between policy-relevant information, perceived societal problems, and policy attitudes.

Author

• Philip Moniz, University of Texas at Austin