Three University of Oklahoma scholars have posted “Exploring the Impact of Information on Preferences toward Federal Indian Policy in America” on SSRN.
Here is the abstract:
Studies suggest that information can have an influential effect on the preferences of mass publics, especially in cases where individuals lack existing knowledge or attitudes on an issue. Federal Indian policy is one such issue area that many Americans are generally unfamiliar with and have little exposure to in their everyday lives. Scholars argue that public support for the rights of tribes would be greater if individuals were better informed about the unique relationship that exists between Native nations and the federal government. Using data from a randomized survey experiment, we test the effects of information concerning U.S.-tribal relations on support for tribal sovereign rights and federal Indian programs and services. We observe the importance of both information and ideology across issue areas, with information increasing support for the rights of tribes to self-govern, but political ideology and other individual attributes dominating attitudes toward federally administered programs (in a way that renders information effects nonexistent). These preliminary observations reveal important differences in the extent to which information alone can influence public opinion on racial policies in America.
Turtle Talk 