The Influence of Issues on Choice of Voting Cues Utilized by State Legislators

Songer, Donald R.; Dillon, Sonja G.; Kite, Darla W.; Jameson, Patricia E.; Underwood, M James; Underwood, William D.

doi:10.2307/448418

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…The pattern of adoption influences found in the contentious pre-Furman period most closely reflects the pattern found in previous studies of morality policythat of policy makers reflecting the values of their constituents, whether manifested through religious affiliation or ideology ( Fairbanks 1977;Haider-Markel and Meier 1996;Mooney and Lee 1995;Pierce and Miller n.d.;Songer et al 1986). But most research linking ideology and religion to the adoption of contentious morality policy has not considered specific public opinion, primarily due to a lack of data (Berry and Berry 1990;Fairbanks 1977;Meier and Johnson 1990;Meier and McFarlane 1992;Mooney and Lee 1995;Nice 1992).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

“…But morality policy debate requires little of the technical knowledge that can limit citizen understanding and involvement, and the discussion of basic values activates and engages people (Carmines and Stimson 1980;Gormley 1986;Gusfield 1963;Meier 1994, 4). 5 Therefore, policy makers have the ability and the incentive to reflect their constituents' values both directly and well (Erikson 1976;Songer et al 1986;Wlezien 1995). Even if a morality issue is not especially salient at a particular moment, policy makers know that the issue is interesting and understandable to many voters and that they may someday have to explain their positions on the campaign trail.…”

Section: Which Values and Whose Values?mentioning

confidence: 98%

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The Influence of Values on Consensus and Contentious Morality Policy: U.S. Death Penalty Reform, 1956-82

Mooney

Lee

2000

The Journal of Politics

129

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We know that policy makers respond more directly to citizen values on morality policy than on nonmorality policy (Haider-Markel and Meier 1996;Mooney and Lee 1995), but how is their response different when morality policy is favored by a clear majority (consensus policy) than when public opinion is more closely divided (contentious policy) (Meier n.d.)? Which values and whose values are responded to under each of these conditions? To address these questions, we conduct an event history analysis on the adoption of two states' death penalty reforms within very different public opinion contexts: the abolition of the death penalty , and its reestablishment in the 11 years after Furman v. Georgia (1972). We find that when public opinion is closely divided on a morality policy issue, policy makers follow its contours closely, to the exclusion of most other influences. But when public opinion is one-sided, political elite ideology has almost exclusive influence on the timing and extent of policy change.Several studies have found that U.S. state policy on morality issues is largely determined by characteristics reflecting a state's values rather than the economic and demographic characteristics that have been long understood to influence nonmorality policy (Haider-Markel and Meier 1996;Mooney and Lee 1995; Mooney n.d.; Norrander and Wilcox n.d.; Smith n.d.). For many people, policies such as those regarding abortion and pornography regulation, gambling, the death penalty, and sex education symbolize the basic moral values affirmed by the state, and because these policies are often nontechnical and highly salient to the pub-

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Section: Which Values and Whose Values?mentioning

confidence: 98%

The Influence of Values on Consensus and Contentious Morality Policy: U.S. Death Penalty Reform, 1956-82

Mooney

Lee

2000

The Journal of Politics

129

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“…These misconceptions can be easily addressed, as noted above. Finally, policymakers' decisions may be influenced more by their own personal attitudes and interests than the interests and opinions of citizens (Songer et al 1986;Hahn et al 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reactions to smoke-free public policies and smoke-free home policies in the Republic of Georgia: results from a 2014 national survey

Berg

Topuridze

Maglakelidze

et al. 2016

Int J Public Health

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“…Additionally, Songer et al (1986) surveyed legislators in Kansas and Oklahoma, and found that the legislators' personal values and attitudes were the most common influence on their political decisions. Additionally, these researchers found that overall, constituent influence was more JOURNALISM 6.…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Synthesis Model for Passing State Student Press Legislation

Plopper

1996

Journalism & Mass Communication Educator

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The Influence of Issues on Choice of Voting Cues Utilized by State Legislators

Cited by 14 publications

References 0 publications

The Influence of Values on Consensus and Contentious Morality Policy: U.S. Death Penalty Reform, 1956-82

The Influence of Values on Consensus and Contentious Morality Policy: U.S. Death Penalty Reform, 1956-82

Reactions to smoke-free public policies and smoke-free home policies in the Republic of Georgia: results from a 2014 national survey

A Synthesis Model for Passing State Student Press Legislation

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