The influence of the elites’ discourse in political attitudes: evidence from the Basque Country
- 6 May 2016
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in National Identities
- Vol. 19 (4), 367-393
- https://doi.org/10.1080/14608944.2016.1177006
Abstract
Do parties’ position shifts matter for public opinion? In this paper, we would like to compare the discourses of the Basque elites with the Basque public opinion regarding the reinforcement of the Autonomy. So, combining content analysis methodology and survey data we aim to test if a mainstream political party (specifically, the Basque Nationalist Party [Partido Nacionalista Vasco]) cause the public view to shift on one of the most important policy issues in the Basque Country, that is, the territorial dimension. This study validates the top-down model and concludes that elite political discourses actually affect popular opinion.Keywords
Funding Information
- Eusko Jaurlaritza (Grupo Consolidado de Alto Rendimiento (IT-610-13))
- Basque Government (Grupo Consolidado de Alto Rendimiento (IT-610-13))
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