Jacoby (2000) Issue Framing and Public Opinion on Government Spending

Effect of issue framing on opinion of government spending. Different frames evoke different influences on attitudes.

Republican and democrat appeals about spending differ in level of specificity (rep.s more broad, restrictive view vs. dem.s specific appeals for certain important programs.) relative framing changes opinion of issue
Issue framing as a political tool: framing effects are used to shift support in the favor of the one putting out the frame “one of the most important “tools” political elites have at their disposal”
General issue frames: general statements about issue areas “government should protect the environment” focus on feeling toward the government, which is more negative, leading to negative opinions of the statements
Specific issue frame: gives specific targets for policy, beneficiaries and costs of policy “government should protect environment to reduce pollution and protect people threatened by toxic waste dumps.” Emphasis on who benefits (the needy or me) leading to positive opinion of issue
1992 election: Bush used general frame for (reduced) govt. spending, Clinton used specific framing for increases
-issue is central to politics, ideological positions,

Data/Methods
Based on 1992 NES survey questions
-continuum of general cut spending vs. increase spending
-additive scale of seven questions about various welfare spending programs (specific framing, mentioning group that benefits)
responses to the two types of framing are highly correlated, evidence that they are about the same issue.

Results
Distribution of responses
- for general spending is unimodal and symmetrical.
- for specific spending is unimodal but skewed toward greater spending
-greater average support for specific spending
-reactions to general questions reflect feelings about government, specific frames reflect feelings about subject of spending
-individual and aggregate level effects of framing

Part 2 Individual level correlates to spending opinions
IVs:
a. Thermometer feeling about government, evaluation of the economy,
b. Feelings about recipients: symbolic racism, feelings about welfare and toward the poor,
c. demos: income, race, gender, age, employment status
d. party id, liberal-conservative rating
DV: reaction to general and specific spending questions
Results
IVs in sections a and b (feelings about government and recipients) had predicted effects on attitudes about spending.
Democrats favored increased spending in both cases- ideology mediates framing effects

People are reacting in ways consistent with the feelings that are evoked with different frames. People act in ways that support their general feelings about the government when that is the only cue, but use other cues also when given the prompting to do so. Issue framing effects are actually not inconsistent, irrational.
Framing can be used by elites that can control the frame to convince people to support their preferred side of an issue. Framing, nonetheless, is inevitable.