Issue Perceptions of Parties and Candidates: A Comparison of Norway and the United States |
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| Authors: | Ola Listhaug Stuart Elaine Macdonald George Rabinowitz |
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| Institution: | Department of Sociology and Political Science, University of Trondheim;Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
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| Abstract: | We examine how clearly citizens in Norway and the United States perceive the ideology and issue positions of parties and candidates. Following in the tradition of Campbell & Valen (1966) and Granberg & Holmberg (1988). we ask: Does the political system matter? We also consider the role of individual sophistication and whether sophistication has different consequences in the two cultural setting. Across a broad range of issues, we find that citizens in Norway have a sharper view of party positions than those in the United States. Sophistication influences the clarity of issue perception in both countries. However, the hypothesis that sophistication matters more in the US is not well supported. |
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