• List of tables and figures; Preface; 1. Introduction: major themes; 2. The role of heuristics in political reasoning: a theory sketch; 3. Values under pressure: AIDS and civil liberties; 4. The principle-policy puzzle: the paradox of American racial attitudes; 5. Reasoning chains; 6. The likability heuristic; 7. Democratic values and mass publics; 8. Ideological reasoning; 9. Information and electoral choice; 10. Stability and change in party identification: presidential to off-years; 11. The American dilemma: the role of law as a persuasive symbol; 12. Ideology and issue persuasibility: dynamics of racial policy attitudes; 13. The new racism and the American ethos; 14. Retrospect and prospect; Notes; Bibliography; Index

'In sum this is a didactically, theoretically and methodologically impressive report on an important research project, scrupulously conducted over a number of years by a powerful group of scholars with a wide range of skills. It is now required reading for all who work on voting behaviour and/or political attitudes.' Michael Laver, Political Studies