Attitudinal policy feedback and public opinion

Abstract

How, if at all, do public policies influence the opinions of ordinary citizens? Using the longitudinal variation in the passage of state smoking bans in restaurants, I consider how policies influence views toward target populations, educate the public about what is good/bad, safe/dangerous, right/wrong, and so forth, and affect support for future policy interventions. I find that people view smokers with more antipathy and believe that secondhand smoke is more harmful post-enactment of smoking bans. Length of exposure matters for support of future policy interventions: people exposed to smoking bans for long periods of time are more supportive of additional smoking restrictions in public places. The theoretical framework offered here can be used to evaluate how other policies, particularly those that are tangible to a majority of citizens, influence public opinion. © 2013 © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Association for Public Opinion Research. All rights reserved.