Does knowing your preferred policy alternatives were ignored make you less happy? This study explores how public attitudes shift when aware of majority-party agenda-setting decisions.
Researchers conducted experiments to test predictions about voter satisfaction. They hypothesized that information about ignored proposals would lower support for legislation, especially affecting fairness perceptions through procedural reasoning and partisan frameworks.
Key findings reveal three important effects:
• Public approval drops when citizens learn their favored policies were deliberately omitted from consideration.
• This negative effect cuts across party lines, impacting voters regardless of which party controls the legislature.
• Awareness of ignored options reduces overall confidence in the legislative process.
These results matter significantly for political science scholars and policymakers alike. They show agenda-setting has consequences beyond simple policy outcomes—it affects democratic legitimacy and public trust.
| You Can't Always Get What You Want: How Majority-Party Agenda-Setting and Ignored Alternatives Shape Public Attitudes was authored by Laurel Harbridge-Yong and Celia Paris. It was published by Wiley in LSQ in 2021. |
