Recent Books in the Field of Public Opinion Research

Abstract

Andrew Gelman describes and explains in this book the “red–blue paradox”. Looking at the 2000 and 2004 elections, this paradox becomes apparent in the voting patterns of states and individual voters. Rich states have become more strongly Democratic over time, while poor states are likely to vote republican. However, rich voters have remained consistently more Republican than voters with less income. The discrepancy in voting patterns for states and individual voters is the essence of the “red–blue paradox”. The book starts out with the basic facts on income and voting, and Gelman explores the ways in which race and religion play a role in the explanation of national voting patterns. With election results and survey data, the author debunks several myths about the relationships...