Assessing Judicial Impact through a Field Experiment
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted to assess the impact of United States Supreme Court decisions on public opinion. At a county fair, 500 participants were invited to view a television newscast in small groups in a natural setting. Some of these newscasts included fabricated stories regarding controversial issues. Some versions of those fabricated stories included references to Supreme Court decisions that, supposedly, had authoritatively resolved the controversial issues. By comparing pre- and post-treatment questionnaires, it was possible to determine whether these supposed pronouncements of the Court altered the opinions of participants regarding the controversial issues.