Public Opinion and Policy

POLSCI 4SS3

Winter 2024

Prof. Gustavo Diaz
Department of Political Science
McMaster University
popw24.gustavodiaz.org

Welcome!

This course is about quantitative research designs applied to public opinion and policy

  • Quantitative: Data analysis using statistics and statistical programming software
  • Research design: Thinking about how research is conducted

Welcome!

This course is about quantitative research designs applied to public opinion and policy

  • Public opinion: Views among the “general” public
  • (Public) policy: Government actions and how to carry them (decision making)

Why public opinion and policy?

  • Both are important for the operation of government and adjacent organizations
  • Why together?
  • Both are important and difficult/expensive to get right
  • Minimize mistakes before conducting a study

Content warning

  • We will rely heavily on math and statistics to think about the properties of a research design

  • You will be asked to:

    • Read technical writing
    • Understand and explain statistical concepts
    • Apply them in writing and coding
    • Write a statistics-heavy final project (optional)

Materials

Course website

popw24.gustavodiaz.org

Required reading

  • FREE ONLINE. DO NOT BUY

  • Short chapters with math and code

  • Read 1-3 sections + 1-2 research articles per week

Suggested reading

  • ALSO FREE ONLINE. DO NOT BUY

  • Second edition

  • Good to consult while working on lab assignments

Software

and RStudio

Computer access

  • Work on assignments during our weekly meetings and beyond

  • + RStudio works on most laptops and has a cloud option

  • See popw24.gustavodiaz.org/resources for installation guides

  • Computers in the classroom should work

  • Computer labs open when courses are not scheduled

Evaluation

Assignments

  1. Attendance and participation
  2. Weekly lab assignments, due on Mondays at 5 PM
  3. Response papers, due on Wednesdays at 8:30 PM
  4. Optional final project: Pre-analysis plan, due April 25 at 11:59 PM

Contract grading

  • To get a B+:

    • Miss no more than 3 class meetings
    • 9 out of 11 weekly lab assignments
    • 3 response papers satisfactorily
    • Be delayed/late on no more than one assignment
    • Have satisfactory participation status

Grading policies

  • Improve your grade by completing more assignments or the final project

  • Missing/delayed/late assignments decrease your grade

  • Make up work only if necessary

Schedule

Semester at a glance

  • First half: Focus on designs for public opinion (surveys)

  • Second half: Focus on public policy (experiments, RCTs, AB testing)

  • Weekly reading and lab assignments

  • Choose weeks to write response papers

  • Choose whether to do final project by April 4

Class meeting

  • Brief lecture (< 30 min)

  • Discussion (~ 40 min)

  • Break (10 min)

  • Lab (Remaining time)

Tips

Doing well in this course

  • Content is cumulative. Stay engaged!

  • Work with others, especially on coding

  • Come to class prepared to work backwards from findings to research design choices

  • See also popw24.gustavodiaz.org/resources

Stay in touch!

Lab

Now: Install and get acquainted with R

popw24.gustavodiaz.org/content

popw24.gustavodiaz.org/resources