Public Opinion in Alabama

This book provides an in-depth examination of public opinion in Alabama to see whether it follows the stereotype of ideological and partisan polarization in the United States. The authors show that even in such a staunchly conservative state, public opinion is considerably more nuanced and complex than this stereotype, suggesting a need to transcend the competing conservative and liberal orthodoxies.

Cal Clark, Don-Terry Veal

Part 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Public Opinion and Politics Chapter 3 Contradictory Models of Political Attitudes Chapter 4 How Alabamians View Their Public Officials Chapter 5 Organization of the Book Part 6 Chapter 2 Chapter 7 Support for Constitutional Reform Chapter 8 Moderate Support for Rewriting the Alabama State Constitution Chapter 9 Stereotypes of Who Supports and Opposes Constitutional Revision Chapter 10 Actual Influences on Attitudes about Constitutional Revision Chapter 11 Assessing the Simultaneous Effects of the Explanatory Items: The Centrality of the Government Activism Dimension Chapter 12 Attitudes about Home Rule Chapter 13 Public Opinion about Constitutional Reform Part 14 Chapter 3 Chapter 15 Views about the Role of Government Chapter 16 Somewhat Contradictory Positions on Tax Issues Chapter 17 How Alabamians Divide on Tax Burden and Tax Policy: Support for the Anti-Tax Economic Stress Model Chapter 18 The Complex Cleavages over Governor Riley's Tax Referendum Chapter 19 Alabamians' Evident Desire for Public Services Chapter 20 How Alabamians Divide on Government Services: The Prevalence of the Standard Ideological Model Chapter 21 The Contradictory Implications of Alabamians' Views about Public Services Part 22 Chapter 4 Chapter 23 More Specific Views about Social Services Chapter 24 Alabamians' Views on Public Education: Concerns about Both Quality and Traditional Values Chapter 25 How Alabamians Divide on Education: Different Dynamics for Different Issues Chapter 26 Alabamians' Views about Health Care: Is the Glass Partially Empty or Partially Full? Chapter 27 How Alabamians' Divide on Health Care: Medical Problems over Ideology Chapter 28 The Conundrum about Education and Health Care in Alabama Part 29 Chapter 5 Chapter 30 Religion and Public Life Chapter 31 Alabamians Views on Religion and Politics: Quite Conservative But with a Couple of Caveats Chapter 32 How Alabamians Divide on the Role of Religion in Public Life: Clearly a Cultural Issue Chapter 33 A Resistance to Over-Politicizing Some Religious Issues? Chapter 34 Religion and Political Life in Alabama Part 35 Chapter 6 Chapter 36 Views about Crime and Immigration Chapter 37 Alabamians' Views about Crime: Significant But Not Overwhelming Concern Chapter 38 How Alabamians Divide on Crime: An Absence of Significant Relationships Chapter 39 Strong Concern over Illegal Immigration Chapter 40 Why Alabamians Differ about Illegal Immigration: General Support for the Cultural Issues Ideological Model Chapter 41 Immigration and Crime as Issues in Alabama Part 42 Chapter 7 Chapter 43 Public Opinion in Alabama and the United States: Defying the Stereotypes Chapter 44 What Do Alabamians Want? Chapter 45 The Similar Dynamics in U.S. Public Opinion Chapter 46 Public Opinion and the Polarization of U.S. Politics Chapter 47 About the Authors