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Abstract

This article examines the salience of international affairs among the American mass public through an analysis of party imagery during four national election campaigns (1952, 1960, 1968, and 1976). First, we find considerable stability in the proportion of the electorate citing international affairs references, with the exception of 1976. Then looking separately at foreign policy and war and peace concerns, significant differences in salience occur between the two domains overtime. Finally, we also detect substantial differences between characteristics of individuals expressing foreign policy concerns and those mentioning war and peace; partisanship is related to mentions of war and peace, while education and media consumption are tied to foreign policy references.

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Mass Political Imagery and the Salience of International Affairs

Abstract

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