2008 John McMenemy Prize

Winner: Amanda Bittner

The Effects of Information and Social Cleavages: Explaining Issue Attitudes and Vote Choice in Canada, Canadian Journal of Political Science 40:4

Excerpt from jury report: This article tackles an important and enduring question of Canadian politics in a theoretically and methodologically sophisticated manner. In seeking to understand the interaction of social group identity and depth of political knowledge Bittner demonstrates that group linkages are less important in determining both attitudes and vote choice than had been previously thought and she explores the complex relationship between social groups, information and public opinion. Clearly written and presented, the article goes beyond highly technical analysis of narrow questions to make a significant contribution to the understanding of Canadian political behaviour.