Public Opinion toward Presidential Power
Public support for presidential powers is shaped by approval of the president, with popular presidents able to leverage their prestige to expand executive authority.
Why It Matters
The publication begins with a motivating question: How does public approval of the president relate to support for the powers of the presidency?
Its central contribution is to show that public support for presidential powers is shaped by approval of the president, with popular presidents able to leverage their prestige to expand executive authority.
It matters because the findings connect institutional choices to the way authority, public responsibility, and political behavior are experienced in practice.
Key Findings
- Respondents with higher approval of the president are significantly more supportive of presidential powers.
- Support for specific presidential powers varies widely among the public.
- Partisan differences in support for presidential powers are smaller than differences in presidential approval.
- Public attitudes toward presidential power are distinct from attitudes toward the president as an individual.
Research Design
- Design
- Article
- Data
- 2013 Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES)
- Geography
- United States
- Time Period
- November 2013
- Unit of Analysis
- individual (survey respondent)
- Methods
- Original nationally representative survey of U.S. adults (2013 Cooperative Congressional Election Study); Logistic regression analysis of survey responses
Full Abstract
This article examines public attitudes toward the levers of presidential power using data from a nationally representative survey. The authors find that respondents who provide higher approval ratings of the president are significantly more supportive of presidential powers. The findings suggest that views toward executive power are shaped by presidential approval and that popular presidents can use their prestige to expand the scope of powers available to the presidency.
Citation
Presidential Studies Quarterly 45 (4): 742-759.
- Venue
- Presidential Studies Quarterly
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 742-759