Author Description

In 1979, the authors of The Changing American Voter, the prize-winning book on electoral behavior, brought their study up-to-date with an analysis of the 1976 presidential election. By carefully analyzing national voting patterns, they give substantial meaning to statistics and figures. Professors Nie, Verba, and Petrocik show how the role of issues in 1976 voting seemed to be influenced by the political context of the campaign. In this respect the 1976 elections represented a reprise of earlier contests such as 1960. In other ways, such as the erosion of partisanship, 1976 resembled more recent elections. The authors use the 1976 election to test out their earlier analysis of the electorate. The American voter is not a “new” voter, this book shows, but a malleable one. The vote in 1976 illustrates the variable nature of mass behavior and attitudes.