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The Implications of Public Opinion for Public Managers

The Case of Charitable Choice

Syracuse University, vanslyke{at}maxwell.syr.edu

Christopher S. Horne

Kennesaw State University

John Clayton Thomas

Georgia State University

In the contemporary policy-implementation process where policies in practice often reflect a compromise, public managers increasingly must consult with the relevant public to learn what that public wants. The purpose of this article is to argue that public managers might sometimes find public-opinion polls valuable as a source of information on public preferences. After explaining when and why this might be the case, the authors illustrate their argument using public-opinion data on the attitudes of Georgia residents toward the issue of Charitable Choice and provide examples of how these data might assist public managers in implementing the program.

Key Words: public management • policy implementation • charitable choice • public opinion • public involvement

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