出刊年月/Date of Publishing

1985.06

所屬卷期/Vol. & No.   第15卷第2期 Vol. 15, No. 2

類型/Type                 研究論文 Research Article

篇名/Title
美國選民行為研究之爭論
The American Electorate Reconsidered: A Review Article

作者/Author
王國璋 John K. C. Wang

頁碼/Pagination
pp. 67-91

摘要
三十多年前，美國政治學界發生了所謂行為革命，此一革命的主要目標在於用有系統的科學方法分析輿論與政治行為，但卻在近年引發不少有關選民屬性的爭論。

傳統派的觀點強調一般選民在政治事象上並不夠成熟，只能對具體的政治事物評判，而不能用意識的抽象概念做出思考及判斷。其意見乃隨意之表示，而非經過思考後之反映，故選民的意識及態度不僅不穩定，且不易做長期之預測。而其投票行為乃受其早年家教中形成的政黨認同所指導，其態度取向於支持既有的政治制度及政治人物。

修正派的觀點強調美國選民近年來業已相當成熟，他們有能力用意識概念判斷政治，對當前的政治問題也有真正的意見，且其意見亦具有長期之穩定性，其政治行為是受政見導向的。政黨認同的支配力減弱，選民對不稱職的政府及官員有智能予以批評。

一部份修正派的學者相信，當前的選民與五○年代者不同了；另一部份則認為傳統派的論點乃基於錯誤的研究，例如「意識拘束力」研究概念的不當，測量誤差的未能修正，以及運作化定義在時間上的失效等等。

前述傳統派及修正派的論點各有其理由，因為美國的政治及研究選民行為的問卷設計皆同時發生了變化。然而，上述對美國選民屬性的爭論正說明了美國選民行為研究的成熟與進步。

Abstract
Three decades ago there surfaced a revolution in the study of the American electorate. This behavioral approach and/or revolution is based on the systematic or scientific analysis of public opinion and political behavior. However, in recent years, there has been considerable debate over the nature of the electorate.

The traditional view emphasizes that the American public has been politically unsophisticated. The average citizen views politics only in concrete, operational terms rather than in ideological terms. The American voter arrives at stated opinions almost randomly rather than through thought and reflection, thus precluding predictability across issues as well as stability of attitudes over time. Therefore, the voter engages in sporadic voting behavior based almost exclusively on partisan attachments, which are learned at a very early age within the family with the result of supporting the status quo.

The revisionist view emphasizes that the American public has recently become reasonably sophisticated. It sees the current electorate as reasonably capable of viewing politics ideologically and having true opinions on the issues of the day, which are both constrained and reasonably· stable over time. The American voter engages in political behavior based increasingly on opinions of important issues and less on partisan attachments, and reasonably critical both of the regime and of unworthy incumbents once they prove their unworthiness.

Some revisionists believe the current electorate is different from the electorate in 1950s and that both caricatures have been true only at different times. Others believe that the traditional view of the electorate was based on faulty research. 

Some of the methodological objections of the latter scholars include misguided conceptualizations of research concepts such as ideological constraint, the failure to deal with problems of measurement error, and problem of indicator invalidity, particularly temporal invalidity.

As described in the article, the debate can not be resolved definitively since, unfortunately, the “changed politics” and the “changed interview format” occurred simultaneously. However, the above debate over the nature of the American electorate will facilitate the sophistication and progress in the study of American electoral behavior.

關鍵字/Key Word
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DOI
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學門分類/Subject
政治學 Political Science