Knowing the attitudes and perceptions of citizens in a particular country or around the globe is important for policy makers in making policy decisions, for parties and politicians in mobilizing votes in elections, and more generally for social scientists in understanding democracy and governance. The first objective of this course is to understand current theory-oriented empirical studies on public opinion; in particular, studies examining the causes and consequences of public opinion in policy and political processes. The second objective of this course is to help students learn the basic skills required to design, use, and critically interpret surveys measuring public opinion.

This course is useful for students who intend to conduct a major empirical research project (e.g., a research project in POGO8035 / POGO8135, a doctoral dissertation project, etc.). By reading important articles in the field of public opinion, students are expected to develop their own research questions and locate their own research in the important literature. This course is also useful for policy-makers who want to understand the nature and determinants of public opinion.

Literature review (40%), final paper (50%), participation and discussions (10%)

There is no pre-requisite or co-requisite for this course. However, as most assigned articles are based on statistical analysis, it is highly recommended (but not required) to take at least one course on research methodology or statistics before taking this course; for example, POGO8096 / POGO8196 (Research Methods). For students who have no statistical background, instructions in how to interpret statistical results are given during the course.