John Zaller

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John R. Zaller (born 1949) is a political scientist specializing in public opinion at the University of California, Los Angeles. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1984.

Zaller is best known for his 1992 book The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion, in which he argues that changes in public opinion are due to the influences of political elites. His more recent work has focused on the mass media (A Theory of Media Politics: How the Interests of Politicians, Journalists and Citizens Shape the News) and political parties (Beating Reform: The Resurgence of Parties in Presidential Nominations, 1980-2004).

[edit] Bibliography

• The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion New York: Cambridge University Press (summary)
• "Who Gets the News: Measuring Individual Differences in Likelihood of News Reception" with Vincent Price. Public Opinion Quarterly 1993.