Public Opinion about Foreign Policy

Abstract

Abstract This chapter explores psychological approaches to the study of public opinion in foreign policy. Traditionally the study of public opinion in IR was disconnected from work in political psychology, but more recent work has sought to bridge the divide, at the same time that work in IR and foreign policy is increasingly interested in microfoundations more broadly. Topics covered include competing psychological models about the structure of foreign policy attitudes, the dynamics of public opinion toward the use of force (including the democratic peace, audience cost models, rally-around-the-flag effects, against type models, and public attitudes toward nuclear weapons), and the origins of public opinion on foreign economic issues like trade.