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First published on February 11, 2008, doi:10.1177/1532673X07313736

American Politics Research 2008;36:335.

A more recent version of this article appeared on May 1, 2008
 © 2008 SAGE Publications

Article

Symbolism Versus Policy Learning: Public Opinion of the 1996 U.S. Welfare Reforms

Andrea Hetling1*, Monika L. McDermott2, and Mingus Mapps3

1 Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
2 University of Connecticut
3 Brandeis University

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ahetling{at}rci.rutgers.edu.


  Abstract
The logic of democracy rests on the assumption that policymakers respond to public preferences, which, in turn, respond to policy developments. We address the question of how policy might affect public opinion by analyzing public opinion before and after the 1996 U.S. Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. We hypothesized that changes made by the legislation would have improved opinions of welfare recipients. Using U.S. surveys from 1994 and 2001, we find that public opinion was more positive postreform and that the change was because of the enactment of welfare reform itself, not any perceived program success.


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