The Changing American Mind

Have Americans become more or less tolerant of racial discrimination? More or less supportive of abortion? Is a new tax revolt underway? Did a "new conservative mood" dominate elections and policy discussions in the early 1980s?

Popular and academic discussions about the past and future of American politics often turn on the question of whether and how public opinion has changed. Yet for all the talk about such matters, observes political scientist William G. Mayer, there is surprisingly little hard evidence on many of these questions. The Changing American Mind is designed to fill that gap, by presenting a comprehensive history of American public opinion over the last three decades: how it changed, why it changed, and what difference that makes for American politics.

The Changing American Mind is important reading for all who are interested in American politics and public opinion. Its appendixes, which include the results of more than 250 survey questions that have been asked regularly of national samples over the last three decades, make it an indispensable reference source for everyone who studies or participates in American politics.

Praise / Awards

• ". . . a grand overview of American public opinion over the last thirty years. Mayer meticulously compiles hundreds of time trends from survey archives. He then weaves these together into a wide ranging yet detailed description of socio-political change."
  —Tom W. Smith, Director, General Social Survey
  
• ". . . a convincing and extensive assessment of the evolution of American public opinion since the end of the 1950s."
  —American Politics Review
  
• ". . . an interesting and challenging book, one which establishes an insightful framework for analysing the changes in American politics since 1960."
  —American Politics Review