Education
He graduated from Saint Monica Catholic High School in Santa Monica, California. He received his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley in 1984.
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John Zaller
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He pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Riverside. Zaller teaches undergraduate classes on electoral politics and the mass media"s influence on public opinion in election cycles as well as graduate classes on political behavior and intermediate statistical analysis.
Politics
He was an Editor of the American Political Science Review. Zaller is best known for his 1992 book The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion, in which he argues that changes in public opinion are due to the influences of political elites. Although he acknowledges the mainstream media"s shortcomings, Zaller holds a positive view of "infotainment", arguing that even sensationalist and superficial media coverage of politics serves to inform and does increase awareness of political issues.
Zaller is a part of the University of California, Los Angeles School of Political Parties, which holds that political parties are created by intense policy demanders, rather than by ambitious politicians.
