| The ways in which U.S. citizens express their views on public issues has changed in recent decades with moves beyond just traditional means of expression (e.g., writing letters to editor, posting a candidates sign in a yard, etc.). This study seeks to address voids in our understanding of the varied and numerous ways citizens are expressing their views on public issues, and our understanding about the targets of and media used to facilitate these expressions. U.S. citizens (N=605) were surveyed about the ways in which they express their views on political issues, the intended targets of those expressions, and the media used to facilitate these expressions. In addition, respondents were asked about their participation in traditional political behaviors (e.g., voting), sense of efficacy, political knowledge levels, political affiliations, political ideology, and demographics. The results of this inquiry include: the development of an expanded operational definition of public voice repertoires; a richer understanding of the inter-relation of public voice repertoires, targets and media selection; and new information about how the use of social media is affecting political discourse in the private and public spheres. |
