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Public Attitudes (public + attitude)
Selected AbstractsPublic Attitudes About Government Involvement in Expressive ControversiesJOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, Issue 2 2009Jennifer L. Lambe The purpose of this study is to identify segments of the public in terms of their attitudes about the permissibility of government censorship. Secondary analysis is conducted on 3 existing data sets that included J. L. Lambe's Willingness to Censor (WTC) scale (2002). Cluster analysis identifies 3 groups with different conceptions of the proper role of the government with regard to expressive controversies: Protectors who want the government to proactively ensure expression is permitted, censors who want the government to restrict expression when another social goal is at stake, and allowers who want the government simply to stay out of such controversies. [source] The Politics of Pension Reform: Lessons from Public Attitudes in GreecePOLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 2 2003Owen O'Donnell While the construction of a rational case for pension reform is often straightforward, the political implementation of such reform can be somewhat more difficult. In large part, this can be attributed to sceptical public opinion. The precise role played by public opinion in constraining the political feasibility of pension reform is, however, unclear. The purpose of this paper is to distil the ways in which public attitudes influence pension reform. This is done through examining survey data from Greece, where progress with the implementation of pension reform has been particularly modest. Political opposition to pension reform appears to be rooted in a general lack of public appreciation of the case for reform combined with the desire to protect interest group privileges. Public ignorance and insecurity breed attitudes not conducive to reform. Public attitudes do not simply act as a given constraint on reform but are a product of the structure of the pension system and the reform process itself. In this path-dependent process, implementation of a reform agenda of rationalisation is more difficult from the starting point of a severely fragmented and distorted system. [source] Public attitudes towards the environmental impact of salmon aquaculture in ScotlandENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2006David Whitmarsh Abstract This paper reports the results of a survey of public attitudes towards aquaculture, using salmon farming in Scotland as a case study. The aims have been to identify the priority that people attach to the environmental performance of the salmon aquaculture industry, relative to other objectives, and to measure the economic benefits to society from salmon farmed using methods that cause less organic pollution. The results indicate that the public attach a relatively high importance to minimizing environmental damage from aquaculture, and this has its parallel in the finding that people are willing to pay a price premium for salmon produced in a more environmentally benign way. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] A15. Public attitudes towards the healthiness of fruit juicesJOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 5 2000K. I. France Background Fruit juice is a major part of children's diets and accounts for a large proportion of their fruit and vegetable servings. People may confuse fruit juice with fruit drinks. This can cause problems as people could possibly substituting a portion of fruit for a drink, which contains little or no fruit. Studies have shown that excessive consumption of fruit juice can lead to health problems in children, including short stature, obesity, nonorganic failure to thrive and carbohydrate malabsorption. An increase in dental erosion has also been noted which appears to correlate with an increase in fruit juice and carbonated beverage consumption. Aims The aim of this study was to find out what the general public's attitudes are towards the healthiness of fruit juice. Methods A mini focus group and a questionnaire were the methods used for data collection. The subjects were parents of children aged 12 or under in a local primary school. Results Overall, the study group had a poor knowledge of the difference between fruit juice and drinks, and knowledge of sugar content was poor. The group had a good knowledge of fruit content. Fruit juice was regarded as being a health drink. They were unsure if excessive consumption could damage children's health or not. Their main concern was regarding their children's teeth. The factor identified as being most influential when choosing a drink was flavour, followed closely by healthiness. Nutritional knowledge was generally poor. The average daily intake of juice was 650 mL (22.8 floz), considerably more than the value recommended by several experts. Conclusion There is a need for nutritional education regarding the consumption of fruit juice. The public should be made more aware of the potential problems associated with excessive fruit juice consumption without discouraging fruit juice intake altogether, as it is an important source of fruit in the diets of young children. [source] Could we live with reintroduced large carnivores in the UK?MAMMAL REVIEW, Issue 3 2004CHARLES J. WILSON ABSTRACT 1.,Literature on the wolf Canis lupus, brown bear Ursus arctos and lynx Lynx lynx is reviewed to determine if sufficient semi-natural habitat exists in the UK for a viable population of any of these species and to assess the potential risks to human safety, livestock and economically valuable wildlife. Public attitudes to the recovery and reintroduction of some other mammals are also briefly reviewed. 2.,The large home range sizes and low population densities of large carnivores mean that the Scottish Highlands is the only UK region with the potential to support a viable population. Human population density is also lower in the Highlands and the density of wild ungulate prey higher than in many parts of Europe where large carnivores survive. 3.,Attacks on people have been recorded in Europe for healthy bears and for rabid bears and wolves but there are no reports of attacks by lynx. Bears are more carnivorous in the north of their range than in the south and although wild mammals seldom appear to be important prey serious predation of livestock can occur. Livestock predation is also reported for the wolf and the lynx but they appear to prefer wild prey if available. However, mass kills of up to 100 or more sheep are occasionally recorded for wolves. 4.,Attitudes to reintroductions and carnivores generally tend to be favourable amongst the general public, but negative amongst those most likely to be adversely affected. Fears for human safety and significant livestock predation with bears and wolves, respectively, suggest that reintroduction of these species is unlikely to be acceptable in the foreseeable future. Reintroduction of the lynx may be feasible but habitat suitability and potential impact on vulnerable native wildlife need to be assessed. Socio-economic and legal issues also need to be addressed before such a reintroduction is considered. [source] The Politics of Pension Reform: Lessons from Public Attitudes in GreecePOLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 2 2003Owen O'Donnell While the construction of a rational case for pension reform is often straightforward, the political implementation of such reform can be somewhat more difficult. In large part, this can be attributed to sceptical public opinion. The precise role played by public opinion in constraining the political feasibility of pension reform is, however, unclear. The purpose of this paper is to distil the ways in which public attitudes influence pension reform. This is done through examining survey data from Greece, where progress with the implementation of pension reform has been particularly modest. Political opposition to pension reform appears to be rooted in a general lack of public appreciation of the case for reform combined with the desire to protect interest group privileges. Public ignorance and insecurity breed attitudes not conducive to reform. Public attitudes do not simply act as a given constraint on reform but are a product of the structure of the pension system and the reform process itself. In this path-dependent process, implementation of a reform agenda of rationalisation is more difficult from the starting point of a severely fragmented and distorted system. [source] NORMALIZATION AND LEGITIMATION: MODELING STIGMATIZING ATTITUDES TOWARD EX-OFFENDERS,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 1 2010PAUL J. HIRSCHFIELD Successful community reentry and the criminological impact of incarceration may depend in part on the attitudes (and consequent reactions) that prisoners encounter after release. Theories of social stigma suggest that such attitudes depend, in turn, on the levels of familiarity with the stigmatized group (the normalization thesis) as well as on the credibility and trust they accord to sanctioning agents (the legitimation thesis). To assess these two hypotheses, we present the first multivariate analysis of public attitudes toward ex-offenders. Data from a four-state, random-digit telephone survey of more than 2,000 individuals indicate that, net of controls, personal familiarity with ex-offenders may soften attitudes, whereas confidence in the courts may harden them. As expected, non-Hispanic Whites, conservatives, and southern residents hold more negative views of ex-offenders. Our findings lend indirect support to concerns that incarceration is becoming "normalized", and we suggest strategies for reducing the stigma of incarceration. [source] SPECIAL SECTION: EVALUATION OF THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CANNABIS INFRINGEMENT NOTICE SCHEME,PHASE 1: Community attitudes towards cannabis law and the proposed Cannabis Infringement Notice scheme in Western AustraliaDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 4 2005JAMES FETHERSTON Abstract Western Australia (WA) became the fourth Australian jurisdiction to adopt a prohibition with civil penalties scheme for minor cannabis offences when its Cannabis Infringement Notice (CIN) scheme became law on 22 March 2004. Previous criminological research has demonstrated the importance of public attitudes towards the law in determining the effectiveness of legislation. This survey represents the first phase of a pre-post study that attempted to gauge public attitudes towards the legal status of cannabis, the proposed legislative reforms surrounding the drug and their likely effects. A random telephone survey of 809 members of the WA population was conducted prior to the implementation of the new laws with a view to exploring contemporary views of the existing legal status of cannabis, attitudes to the proposed legislative model and respondent perceptions of its likely effects. Despite cannabis being viewed negatively by large numbers of the sample, criminal penalties for minor cannabis offences were viewed as inappropriate and ineffective. Once explained, the proposed civil penalty scheme was viewed as ,a good idea' by 79% of the sample, despite significant differences due to personal experience of cannabis use, political affiliation, religiosity and age of offspring. Most believed that the legislative change would not result in changes to levels of cannabis use (70%) or ease of obtaining cannabis (59%). These data suggest that prior to its implementation the new legislation was highly acceptable to the majority of the community. These baseline data will be compared with data to be collected at the post-change phase of the study to allow empirical observations of attitudinal and behavioural changes occurring in the community. [source] Drug classification: science, politics, both or neither?ADDICTION, Issue 7 2010Harold Kalant ABSTRACT Governments currently classify illicit drugs for various purposes: to guide courts in the sentencing of convicted violators of drug control laws, to prioritize targets of prevention measures and to educate the public about relative risks of the various drugs. It has been proposed that classification should be conducted by scientists and drug experts rather than by politicians, so that it will reflect only accurate factual knowledge of drug effects and risks rather than political biases. Although this is an appealing goal, it is inherently impossible because rank-ordering of the drugs inevitably requires value judgements concerning the different types of harm. Such judgements, even by scientists, depend upon subjective personal criteria and not only upon scientific facts. Moreover, classification that is meant to guide the legal system in controlling dangerous drug use can function only if it is in harmony with the values and sentiments of the public. In some respects, politicians may be better attuned to public attitudes and wishes, and to what policies the public will support, than are scientific experts. The problems inherent in such drug classification are illustrated by the examples of cannabis and of salvinorin A. They raise the question as to whether the classification process really serves any socially beneficial purpose. [source] Challenges and recovery actions for the widespread, threatened Grey-headed Flying-fox: A review from a New South Wales policy perspectiveECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION, Issue 2009Kylie McClelland Summary The challenges of managing and conserving threatened species that have a widespread distribution operate at several levels and recovery of these species is a complex process. This paper provides an overview of how science is informing the management and conservation of the Grey-headed Flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) in New South Wales. It outlines a series of research projects and activities the Department of Environment and Climate Change (New South Wales) has led or been involved in since the Grey-headed Flying-fox was listed as threatened in New South Wales in May 2001. This includes investigation of the species' distribution and abundance; its roosting and foraging habitat requirements; assessment of horticultural damage and the mitigation techniques used; public attitudes towards the species; and development of policies and plans to guide the species' conservation and management. Conservation gains for threatened species can be achieved through a sustained, focused programme of management, coordinated by dedicated individuals and informed by the available science. Scientists, policy-makers and the general community must continue to strive together for the recovery of widespread, threatened species. [source] Public attitudes towards the environmental impact of salmon aquaculture in ScotlandENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2006David Whitmarsh Abstract This paper reports the results of a survey of public attitudes towards aquaculture, using salmon farming in Scotland as a case study. The aims have been to identify the priority that people attach to the environmental performance of the salmon aquaculture industry, relative to other objectives, and to measure the economic benefits to society from salmon farmed using methods that cause less organic pollution. The results indicate that the public attach a relatively high importance to minimizing environmental damage from aquaculture, and this has its parallel in the finding that people are willing to pay a price premium for salmon produced in a more environmentally benign way. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Forecasting the Adoption of Genetically Modified Oilseed Rape Prognosen hinsichtlich der Einführung von gentechnisch verändertem Raps Prévisions sur l'adoption de colza transgéniqueEUROCHOICES, Issue 2 2009Gunnar Breustedt Summary Forecasting the Adoption of Genetically Modified Oilseed Rape We explore farmers' willingness to adopt genetically modified oilseed rape prior to its commercial release and estimate the ,demand' for the new technology. The analysis is based upon experiments with arable farmers in Germany who were asked to choose among conventional and GM rapeseed varieties with different characteristics. Our analysis has shown that ex ante GM adoption decisions are driven by profit expectations and personal as well as farm characteristics. Monetary and technological determinants such as the gross margin advantage of GM oilseed rape varieties, expected liability from cross pollination and restricted flexibility in returning to conventional oilseed rape growing affect the willingness to adopt GM rape in the expected directions. The results further indicate that neighbourhood effects and public attitudes matter a lot, such that individual farmers may not feel entirely free in their technology choice. Our demand simulations suggest that monopolistic seed prices would be set at between ,50 and ,100 per hectare, leaving farmers with a small share of the GM rent. This raises the question as to whether the farmers surveyed would actually benefit from the approval of GM rape varieties if the technology were to be provided by a single firm. Nous explorons le consentement des agriculteurs à utiliser du colza transgénique avant sa mise en marché et estimons la demande de cette nouvelle technologie. L'analyse se fonde sur des expériences menées auprès de cultivateurs allemands à qui l'on a demandé de choisir entre des variétés de colza conventionnelles et transgéniques aux caractéristiques différentes. Notre analyse a montré que les décisions a priori concernant l'adoption de variétés transgéniques sont fonction des profits attendus et des caractéristiques de l'agriculteur et de l'exploitation. Les facteurs financiers et technologiques comme les avantages des variétés de colza transgénique en termes de marge brute, ainsi que les risques possibles de fertilisation croisée et les contraintes relatives au retour vers des cultures de colza conventionnelles ont les effets attendus sur le consentement à adopter des variétés transgéniques. Les résultats montrent également que les effets de voisinage et l'attitude du public comptent beaucoup, de sorte que les agriculteurs individuels pourraient ne pas se sentir complètement libres de choisir leur technologie. Nos simulations sur la demande semblent indiquer que les prix des semences en situation de monopole seraient fixés entre 50 et 100 , par hectare, ce qui laisserait aux agriculteurs une faible part de la rente transgénique. Cela soulève la question de savoir si les agriculteurs de l'enquête tireraient vraiment avantage de l'approbation de variétés de colza transgéniques si la technologie n'était fournie que par une seule compagnie. Wir untersuchen die Bereitschaft von Landwirten, gentechnisch veränderten Raps einzuführen, bevor dieser auf den Markt gebracht wird, und schätzen die ,Nachfrage' nach dieser neuen Technologie ein. Unsere Analyse stützt sich auf Versuche mit Ackerbauern in Deutschland, bei denen sich die Landwirte zwischen herkömmlichen und gentechnisch veränderten Rapssorten mit verschiedenen Eigenschaften entscheiden mussten. Unsere Analyse zeigt, dass ex ante die Entscheidungen über die Einführung von gentechnisch verändertem Raps aufgrund von Gewinnerwartungen sowie von persönlichen und betrieblichen Charakteristika getroffen werden. Monetäre und technologische Bestimmungsgrößen wie z.B. der Vorsprung des gentechnisch veränderten Raps beim Deckungsbeitrag, die erwartete Haftbarkeit bei Fremdbestäubung sowie die nur eingeschränkte Flexibilität, zum herkömmlichen Rapsanbau zurückkehren zu können, beeinflussen erwartungsgemäß die Bereitschaft, gentechnisch veränderten Raps anzubauen. Desweiteren zeigen die Ergebnisse, dass Nachbarschaftseffekte und öffentliche Meinungen eine große Rolle spielen, so dass sich einige Landwirte womöglich bei der Wahl der Technologie in ihrer Entscheidungsfreiheit eingeschränkt fühlen. Unsere Nachfragesimulationen deuten darauf hin, dass sich monopolistische Saatgutpreise zwischen EUR 50 und EUR 100 pro Hektar bewegen würden, so dass den Landwirten ein kleiner Teil der ökonomischen Rente der GV-Technologie verbliebe. Dies wirft die Frage auf, ob die betrachteten Landwirte überhaupt von der Zulassung der gentechnisch veränderten Rapssorten profitieren würden, wenn die Technologie nur von einem einzigen Unternehmen angeboten würde. [source] How news content influences anti-immigration attitudes: Germany, 1993,2005EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2009HAJO G. BOOMGAARDEN Immigration is an increasingly important political issue in Western democracies and a crucial question relates to the antecedents of public attitudes towards immigrants. It is generally acknowledged that information relayed through the mass media plays a role in the formation of anti-immigration attitudes. This study considers whether news coverage of immigrants and immigration issues relates to macro-level dynamics of anti-immigration attitudes. It further explores whether this relationship depends on variation in relevant real world contexts. The models simultaneously control for the effects of established contextual explanatory variables. Drawing on German monthly time-series data and on ARIMA time-series modeling techniques, it is shown that both the frequency and the tone of coverage of immigrant actors in the news significantly influence dynamics in anti-immigration attitudes. The strength of the effect of the news, however, depends on contextual variation in immigration levels and the number of asylum seekers. Implications of these findings are discussed in the light of the increasing success of extreme right parties and growing opposition to further European integration. [source] Growing supranational identities in a globalising world?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2008A multilevel analysis of the World Values Surveys Using the World Values Surveys (WVS), this article shows that there is a global pattern in public attitudes toward supranational identity: the younger the respondent, the more supranational. Yet a life-cycle effect, as opposed to a generational one, underlies this pattern. A multilevel analysis confirms this age effect on supranational identification in 43 countries covered in the recent wave of the WVS, but provides little support for the idea that a country's integration into the global economy and world society promotes supranational attachments among mass publics, especially youths. Regional integration and globalisation appear either complementary or contradictory to this identity shift, depending upon how ordinary citizens perceive their country's involvement in the processes of regional integration and globalisation, respectively. [source] The Place of Islam in the Geography of Religion: Trends and IntersectionsGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2007Richard Gale This article reviews recent geographical research on Islam and Muslim identities. In the wake of the events of 11 September 2001, the forms taken by public debate surrounding Muslim communities and societies have been manifold and not always edifying. In the present political climate, where public attitudes to a particular suite of issues are often as misinformed as they are deeply held, the need for academics to furnish insights born out of robust research is acute. While the responses of academics to debates coalescing around Muslim communities and identities have emanated predominantly from religious studies, sociology and anthropology, geographers, with their attention to the spatial components inherent to the articulation of social identities, are making an increasingly significant contribution to our knowledge in this field. This article reviews this contribution, focusing on four areas in which geographical research on Islam has been most pronounced: Muslim residential segregation and ,community cohesion'; the relationship between Islamic dress codes and spatial context in the articulation of Muslim gender identities; the contestation of space that has attended the architectural expression of Muslim identity in urban landscapes and the spatial politics embedded in the construction of Muslim identities at simultaneously national and transnational scales. While the predominant focus is therefore geographical, the article also establishes linkages to other writings on the spatiality of Islam where relevant to the specific themes under discussion. [source] HIV, AIDS and human services: exploring public attitudes in West Hollywood, CaliforniaHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 2 2000Robin M. Law Abstract The provision of human services associated with HIV and AIDS has been a controversial issue in Western countries, given the degree of stigma attached to AIDS, and the high level of public concern about the possibility of contracting HIV. Previous research on attitudes to controversial human services has identified some key characteristics associated with negative attitudes and resistant ,not-in-my-backyard' behaviour. Attitudes towards HIV- and AIDS-related services may be affected by other factors as well; in particular, they may be related to self-identified sexual orientation, given the role of HIV and AIDS in the emergence of a strong gay political identity. However, little research has yet been conducted to explore how knowledge and attitudes towards these services in particular localities are associated with a range of characteristics of local residents, including sensitive information such as sexual orientation and household HIV status, and how these might contribute to the creation of more accepting environments. This paper provides an analysis of a 1994 city-wide survey conducted in West Hollywood, California. This small city has a large and politically-organized gay and lesbian population, as well as significant numbers of residents in other, diverse social groupings, and has experienced high levels of HIV infection and AIDS relative to the surrounding Los Angeles County. Although issues of HIV and AIDS service provision have been well publicized in the city, residents may be expected to hold rather different sets of knowledge about and attitudes to these services, depending on their personal characteristics. Analysis of the survey data reveals that a large proportion of residents of West Hollywood rated HIV and AIDS services as very important, but there were interesting differences among groups. Most notably, variation in knowledge of services and attitudes to services (rating of importance) was particularly associated with age and language, but was less affected by sexual orientation and household HIV status. [source] Product attributes, consumer benefits and public approval of genetically modified foodsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 5 2003Ferdaus Hossain Abstract The use of biotechnology in food production has generated considerable debate involving the benefits and risks associated with its use. Consumer acceptance of genetically modified foods is a critical factor that will affect the future of this technology. Using data from a national survey, this study examines how public acceptance of food biotechnology is related to consumers' socioeconomic and value attributes as well as the benefits associated with the use of this technology. Empirical results suggest that consumer acceptance of food biotechnology increases considerably when the use of this technology brings tangible benefits for the public. Consumers with different socioeconomic and demographic attributes have diverging views of food biotechnology only when its use brings specific benefits to them. When the use of genetic technology confers no additional benefit, public attitudes towards genetically modified foods are driven primarily by their scientific knowledge, views of scientists and corporations associated with biotechnology as well as public trust and confidence in government. [source] Understanding public attitudes towards Social SecurityINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE, Issue 2 2006Philip Yang There has been very little research on why individuals hold different attitudes toward Social Security. In this article we integrate social location theory and political predisposition theory to provide a framework of explanation and test these theories using a unique sample from the 1998 General Social Survey. Our multivariate results reveal that social structural positions along the lines of race, gender, class and age play a more important role than political predispositions in explain-ing individual differences in support for the current Social Security system against privatisation. Political party affiliation also partly contributes to variation in support for Social Security, but political ideology does not have a significant effect. Our results suggest that with regard to support for Social Security, primary consideration must rest on social structural positions. Racial minorities, women, the poor and the elderly tend to dislike a drastic change in the current Social Security system, and Social Security reform ought to pay attention to their concerns. Our robust finding of a positive relationship between age and support for Social Security also challenges much of the established knowledge, pointing to an intergenerational discord over Social Security. It is also important to differentiate among social welfare programmes in order to uncover the real determinants of public attitudes towards them. [source] Attitudes of mental health professionals about mental illness: a review of the recent literatureJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Otto Wahl A large body of research has documented public attitudes toward people with mental illness. The current attitudes of the people who provide services to those with psychiatric disorders are important to understand, as well. The authors review what studies over the past 5 years reveal about the attitudes of psychiatric professionals. Empirical studies of the attitudes of mental health professionals, published since 2004, were identified and reviewed. Only 19 such studies were found. Most of these studies revealed overall positive attitudes among mental health professionals. However, evidence of negative attitudes and expectations was also found, particularly with respect to social acceptance of people with mental illness. Results indicate a need for greater research attention to mental health professionals' views and for improved attitudes among caregivers. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Television and attitudes toward mental health issues: Cultivation analysis and the third-person effectJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Donald L. Diefenbach A television content analysis and survey of 419 community respondents supports the hypothesis that media stereotypes affect public attitudes toward mental health issues. A content analysis of network, prime-time television demonstrates that portrayals are violent, false, and negative. The mentally disordered are portrayed as 10 times more likely to be a violent criminal than nonmentally disordered television characters. A survey demonstrates that as television viewing increases so does the belief among viewers that locating mental health services in residential neighborhoods will endanger the residents. Viewers who watch television news are less likely to support living next to someone who is mentally ill. The survey also tests the third-person effect, and finds that viewers believe television portrayals of mental illness affect others more than themselves. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Press responses to the presence of free-living Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in southern EnglandMAMMAL REVIEW, Issue 4 2002M. J. Goulding ABSTRACT Wildlife management and conservation programmes are likely to attract media attention, especially when the programmes in question involve large mammals. The present study surveyed the response of the press (national and local newspapers, and magazines) to the existence of two populations of free-living Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) that established in southern England in the early 1990s, following the escape of animals from captivity. One-hundred and seven target articles from 46 different titles were searched for references to 18 separate issues related to topics such as agricultural damage, risk to humans and ecological impact. The presence of free-living Wild Boar in the English countryside attracted predominantly negative press coverage: the issues most frequently raised by newspaper and magazine articles were that the animals constitute a danger to the public, damage agricultural crops, predate livestock and transmit disease. A minority of articles argued that the animals should be conserved, mainly on the grounds that they could be hunted for meat. There was relatively little coverage of environmental issues, and what there was tended to focus on detrimental effects of Wild Boar on native flora and fauna. We conclude that management and conservation programmes involving large, allegedly dangerous mammals are likely to encounter an adverse press reaction. This is something that the organizers of such programmes may need to take into account when predicting public attitudes. [source] Race, Gender, and Communications in Natural DisastersPOLICY STUDIES JOURNAL, Issue 4 2007Darrell M. West We examine public attitudes toward vulnerability and evacuation in hurricane natural disasters. Using the results of an opinion survey in a coastal, New England state, we find important differences in how men and women, and Whites and minorities perceive natural disasters. Race, gender, and geographic proximity to the coast affect how vulnerable people believe their residence is to a major hurricane, while government officials and media reporting telling people to evacuate influence evacuation decisions. In order to avoid future breakdowns, governments need to understand the different information processing approaches of various groups of people. [source] Research Note: The Influence of the Press in Shaping Public Opinion towards the European Union in BritainPOLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 3 2004Sean Carey Existing research finds that European citizens evaluate the EU according to the perceived costs and benefits of integration. Instead of assuming that cue-givers provide an informational role in this process, we investigate the direct effects of positive and negative EU messages from prominent cue-givers, including political parties and the media. Using the 2001 British Election Study, we examine the impact of the main political parties and newspapers on public attitudes towards membership of the EU and the prospect of joining the single European currency. During the 2001 British General Election campaign, the media and the main political parties had small independent effects on attitudes towards EU membership and the potential adoption of the single European currency. When voters receive the same messages from both their party and their newspaper, these effects are considerable. [source] The Politics of Pension Reform: Lessons from Public Attitudes in GreecePOLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 2 2003Owen O'Donnell While the construction of a rational case for pension reform is often straightforward, the political implementation of such reform can be somewhat more difficult. In large part, this can be attributed to sceptical public opinion. The precise role played by public opinion in constraining the political feasibility of pension reform is, however, unclear. The purpose of this paper is to distil the ways in which public attitudes influence pension reform. This is done through examining survey data from Greece, where progress with the implementation of pension reform has been particularly modest. Political opposition to pension reform appears to be rooted in a general lack of public appreciation of the case for reform combined with the desire to protect interest group privileges. Public ignorance and insecurity breed attitudes not conducive to reform. Public attitudes do not simply act as a given constraint on reform but are a product of the structure of the pension system and the reform process itself. In this path-dependent process, implementation of a reform agenda of rationalisation is more difficult from the starting point of a severely fragmented and distorted system. [source] Public Opinion and the Contradictions of Jimmy Carter's Foreign PolicyPRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2000ANDREW Z. KATZ President Jimmy Carter's failure to achieve popular support for his foreign policy is commonly attributed to his disregard of public opinion. The author evaluates this perception by examining the Carter administration's use of polls in the areas of human rights and U.S.-Soviet relations. Archival material confirms that Carter did not ignore public opinion; rather, his polling operation did not provide the White House with a complete and objective portrait of public attitudes. Carter's team assumed that public opinion on foreign policy was malleable and lacked structure. Thus, no effort was made to determine whether the contradictions pollsters found on the surface were actually held together by an underlying structure. Therefore, the Carter White House had neither an accurate gauge of public attitudes nor an understanding of those attitudes sufficient to build support for its policies. [source] E-Government and the Transformation of Service Delivery and Citizen AttitudesPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 1 2004Darrell M. West The impact of new technology on public-sector service delivery and citizens' attitudes about government has long been debated by political observers. This article assesses the consequences ofe-government for service delivery, democratic responsiveness, and public attitudes over the last three years. Research examines the content of e-government to investigate whether it is taking advantage of the interactive features of the World Wide Web to improve service delivery, democratic responsiveness, and public outreach. In addition, a national public opinion survey examines the ability of e-government to influence citizens' views about government and their confidence in the effectiveness of service delivery. Using both Web site content as well as public assessments, I argue that, in some respects, the e-government revolution has fallen short of its potential to transform service delivery and public trust in government. It does, however, have the possibility of enhancing democratic responsiveness and boosting beliefs that government is effective. [source] The Dynamics of Partisan Conflict on Congressional ApprovalAMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Issue 3 2009Mark D. Ramirez Partisan divisions in American politics have been increasing since the 1970s following a period where scholars thought parties were in decline. This polarization is observed most frequently within the debates and deliberation across issues within Congress. Given that most studies of public opinion place the behavior of elites at the center of public attitudes, surprisingly little research examines the effect of partisan conflict on the mass public. This research examines quarterly congressional approval data from 1974 to 2000 to determine the consequences, if any, of party conflict on the dynamics of congressional approval. The findings indicate that over-time changes in partisan conflict within Congress have a direct and lasting effect on how citizens think about Congress. [source] What People Think About the Management of Sex Offenders in the CommunityTHE HOWARD JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Issue 3 2008STEVEN BROWN Abstract: The research on which this article is based examines public attitudes towards the reintegration of sex offenders into the community. Data were gathered using a variety of methods: an online, predominantly qualitative questionnaire, a postal questionnaire, predominantly quantitative, and meetings with community groups, such as residents' associations. The postal questionnaire was sent to employers (for distribution to staff) and mailed to 5,000 households in the north-west of England; a total of 979 people responded to both the online and postal questionnaires. This study is one of the largest surveys in the UK on what people think about the reintegration of sex offenders into the community post-conviction. The research findings indicate that people are not as punitive towards sex offenders as is assumed. However, feelings of insecurity in terms of the way sex offenders are managed in the community were expressed with a belief in the veracity of community notification strategies. Concern was also expressed in relation to how the community reintegration of sex offenders takes place. [source] Obesity Metaphors: How Beliefs about the Causes of Obesity Affect Support for Public PolicyTHE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2009COLLEEN L. BARRY Context: Relatively little is known about the factors shaping public attitudes toward obesity as a policy concern. This study examines whether individuals' beliefs about the causes of obesity affect their support for policies aimed at stemming obesity rates. This article identifies a unique role of metaphor-based beliefs, as distinct from conventional political attitudes, in explaining support for obesity policies. Methods: This article used the Yale Rudd Center Public Opinion on Obesity Survey, a nationally representative web sample surveyed from the Knowledge Networks panel in 2006/07 (N = 1,009). The study examines how respondents' demographic and health characteristics, political attitudes, and agreement with seven obesity metaphors affect support for sixteen policies to reduce obesity rates. Findings: Including obesity metaphors in regression models helps explain public support for policies to curb obesity beyond levels attributable solely to demographic, health, and political characteristics. The metaphors that people use to understand rising obesity rates are strong predictors of support for public policy, and their influence varies across different types of policy interventions. Conclusions: Over the last five years, the United States has begun to grapple with the implications of dramatically escalating rates of obesity. Individuals use metaphors to better understand increasing rates of obesity, and obesity metaphors are independent and powerful predictors of support for public policies to curb obesity. Metaphorical reasoning also offers a potential framework for using strategic issue framing to shift support for obesity policies. [source] Cocaine-related admissions to an intensive care unit: a five-year study of incidence and outcomesANAESTHESIA, Issue 2 2010S. Galvin Summary Cocaine misuse is increasing and it is evidently considered a relatively safe drug of abuse in Ireland. To address this perception, we reviewed the database of an 18-bed Dublin intensive care unit, covering all admissions from 2003 to 2007. We identified cocaine-related cases, measuring hospital mortality and long-term survival in early 2009. Cocaine-related admissions increased from around one annually in 2003,05 to 10 in 2007. Their median (IQR [range]) age was 25 (21,35 [17,47]) years and 78% were male. The median (IQR [range]) APACHE II score was 16 (11,27 [5,36]) and length of intensive care stay was 5 (3,9 [1,16]) days. Ten patients died during their hospital stay. A further five had died by the time of follow-up, a median of 24 months later. One was untraceable. Cocaine toxicity necessitating intensive care is increasingly common in Dublin. Hospital mortality in this series was 52%. These findings may help to inform public attitudes to cocaine. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||