The Mass Media and the Dynamics of American Racial Attitudes

Download or read book The Mass Media and the Dynamics of American Racial Attitudes written by Paul M. Kellstedt and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003-08-04 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Paul M. Kellstedt explains the variation in Americans' racial attitudes over the last half-century, particularly the relationship between media coverage of race and American public opinion on race. The analyses reveal that racial policy preferences have evolved in an interesting and unpredicted (if not unpredictable) fashion over the past fifty years. There have been sustained periods of liberalism, where the public prefers an active government to bring about racial equality, and these periods are invariably followed by eras of conservatism, where the public wants the government to stay out of racial politics altogether. These opinions respond to cues presented in the national media. Kellstedt then examines the relationship between attitudes on the two major issues of the twentieth century: race and the welfare state.