Premium
Issue Perceptions of Parties and Candidates: A Comparison of Norway and the United States
Author(s) -
Listhaug Ola,
Macdonald Stuart Elaine,
Rabinowitz George
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
scandinavian political studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-9477
pISSN - 0080-6757
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9477.1994.tb00149.x
Subject(s) - sophistication , clarity , ideology , perception , politics , political science , political economy , positive economics , sociology , law , social science , psychology , economics , chemistry , biochemistry , neuroscience
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.