Congress as Public Enemy: Public Attitudes toward American Political Institutions (Cambridge Studies in Public Opinion and Political Psychology) [Paperback]

John R. Hibbing (Author), Elizabeth Theiss-Morse (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521483360 | ISBN-13: 978-0521483360 | Publication Date: September 29, 1995

This timely book describes and explains the American people's alleged hatred of their own branch of government, the U.S. Congress. Focus group sessions held across the country and a specially designed national survey indicate that much of the negativity is generated by popular perceptions of the processes of governing visible in Congress. But Hibbing and Theiss-Morse conclude that the public's unwitting desire to reform democracy out of a democratic legislature is a cure more dangerous than the disease.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite a sensationalistic title, this highly theoretical explication of public attitudes toward all three branches of federal government offers no hard evidence of any citizen revolts in the making; nor is it likely to incite any. Based on findings drawn in 1992 from 1400 30-minute telephone interviews with a nationwide sample of voting-age residents, plus eight two-hour focus-group sessions of 10 participants each at locations across the country, the book is a densely written, abstruse work likely to appeal mostly to political scientists. Readers not familiar with the scholarly sources cited will have to accept the authors' summaries?and debunkings ?of previous research on faith, there being scant explanation of prior research. The authors examine at length the difference between people's feelings toward the various institutions of government and toward the members of those bodies. Perhaps most disturbing is their view that the American people, while supporting the notion of a democratic government, have little patience for the actual workings of democracy, its unruly debates and inevitable compromises.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Congress, the people's branch of government, is passionately ridiculed with great regularity by the people. But why? Does everyone really despise Congress, and what about it do they hate? These questions have finally been posed in a major research project conducted by two political scientists at the University of Nebraska. Blending the findings of a 1400-person national telephone survey and eight two-hour focus group meetings of average Americans at sites around the country, the authors discovered that most people dislike the legislative process (e.g., lengthy debate, compromise, interest group activity) and not the institution. From their wealth of original data, Hibbing and Theiss-Morse compare public support for each branch of government as an institution and public support for the people who hold office in each branch. The public, they contend, draws a reasonably clear distinction between the constitutional system, which they favor, and the contemporary Washington political system, which they loathe. This is an important book for students of Congress, public opinion, and American politics generally. A major contribution to our understanding of contemporary American politics, it should be widely quoted and cited.?Thomas J. Baldino, Wilkes Univ., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (September 29, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521483360
• ISBN-13: 978-0521483360
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do we hate Congress and if so, why?, December 13, 2000

By 

Gregory M Talmage (Washington DC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Congress as Public Enemy: Public Attitudes toward American Political Institutions (Cambridge Studies in Public Opinion and Political Psychology) (Paperback)

Years ago, Richard Fenno introduced the idea of the `congressional paradox'---a phenomenon explaining that although a majority of Americans distrust Congress as an institution, that negative sentiment, however, did not extend to individual attitudes about one's own congressional representative. In Congress as Public Enemy, Hibbing and Theiss-Morse investigate the causes of and the reasoning behind public disillusionment toward the United States' top legislative body. Along the way, the authors discover dissatisfaction with Congress comes not only from the viewpoint that Congress is overprofessionalized and coddled by the hands of special interests, but Americans contain a wide discontent for the legislative processes. Interestingly, the authors observe this finding as troublesome. Authors state, "People profess a devotion to democracy in the abstract but have little or no appreciation for what a practicing democracy invariably brings with it...People do not wish to see uncertainty conflicting opinions, long debate, competing interests, confusion, bargaining, and compromised, imperfect decisions. They want government to do its job quietly and efficiently...In short, we submit, they often seek a patently unrealistic form of democracy." (Pg. 147) I believe we must ask ourselves is this true discontent or misunderstanding? Can civic education increase appreciation for the process? Does this discontent toward the process extend to public perceptions of state legislatures? A well researched and written work! Strongly recommended for anyone interested in the study of political psychology.