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Dynamic public opinion: Communication effects over time

Source: JournalistsResource.org

Scholars from Northwestern University set out to study an underappreciated aspect of public opinion and communications: how the sequence and timing of messages from electoral and policy campaigns can shape views over longer intervals of time. Typically, as the scholars point out, experimental research has focused on the short-term effects of a given message on the public and has found that two competing, simultaneous messages can cancel one another out.

How do phone and Internet surveys compare?

Source: JournalistsResource.org

Random Digit Dialing (RDD) is a popular research method in which participants are contacted by the random dialing of telephone numbers. As more U.S. residents move to cell phones, however, they are increasingly out of reach of such traditional phone-based surveys. The Internet can also be used to administer surveys, and it has the advantage of allowing researchers to target specific populations (known as a “probability” survey) or random groups (a “non-probability” survey).

Exposure to anti-drug advertising and drug-related beliefs and behaviors among U.S. youth

Source: JournalistsResource.org

Television and radio anti-drug campaigns — including the well-known “This Is Your Brain on Drugs” and “Just Say No” ads from the 1980s — have long warned youth about the perils of illicit substances. Millions of dollars have been spent on such efforts, but are they effective? Drugs continue to be a significant public health problem among youth, and the patterns of usage continue to evolve.

Polls or pols? The real driving force behind presidential nominations

Source: JournalistsResource.org

Early money raised, momentum and high poll numbers are often seen by political observers as key factors in predicting how candidates will fare in the presidential primaries. However, the role of endorsements — particularly from a core group of influential party backers — is a factor that, according to some political scientists, has not received enough attention.

How television covers the presidential nomination process

Source: JournalistsResource.org

The number of evening network news stories about the presidential nominating contests has generally declined in recent decades, according to a paper by scholars at George Mason University. The 2008 election — which for a variety of reasons generated massive media attention — stands as an exception to this trend. But whether or not 2008 is a sign of renewed interest by the television networks, or just an anomaly, remains to be seen during the 2012 election cycle, the researchers note.