Public Opinion and International Conflict
Title
Public Opinion and International Conflict
Author
Berinsky, Adam J.
Research Area
Class, Status and Power
Topic
Violence, Conflict and Conflict Resolution
Abstract
Should the opinions of citizens in a democracy matter in decisions of war and peace? The answer to this critical question depends on the stock we place in the ability of the mass public to come to meaningful decisions regarding the conduct of foreign affairs. In this essay, I examine public opinion about war over the past 75 years and make the case that our assessment of the mass public depends in large part on the nature of the information it receives from political leaders. Contrary to the conventional wisdom regarding public opinion and foreign policy that emerges from scholarly and journalistic accounts, events do not directly influence the public. Instead, citizens learn about wars largely from political leaders. Public opinion during times of war is therefore shaped by many of the same attachments and enmities that matter in domestic politics. As in other areas of politics, public opinion is primarily structured by the ebb and flow of partisan and group‐based political conflict.