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Sociotropic Concerns and Support for Counterterrorism Policies *
Author(s) -
Joslyn Mark R.,
HaiderMarkel Donald P.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
social science quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1540-6237
pISSN - 0038-4941
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2007.00459.x
Subject(s) - perception , public opinion , terrorism , affect (linguistics) , politics , political science , public policy , survey data collection , social psychology , public support , psychology , public relations , law , statistics , mathematics , communication , neuroscience
Objective. An individual's personal experiences and perception of the collective experience are often linked to political attitudes, especially those concerning the national economy. In this article, we examine whether personal concern about terrorism and perceptions of public concern about terrorism affect attitudes about counterterrorism policies. In addition, we evaluate which factor is the strongest predictor across several counterterrorism policies. Method. We analyze individual‐level survey data collected during the fall of 2001. Results. Our results indicate that perceptions of public concerns are the strongest and most consistent predictor of policy attitudes about terrorism. Conclusion. The implications for theory about perceptions of public opinion and the competing role of personal interest and sociotropic concern are discussed.