A Nation Fragmented

“Developing a shared public agenda has never been easy in a country as large and diverse as the United States—a task that has become more difficult in the era of cable television and digital media. Drawing on nearly a half century of public opinion data and news media content, creative statistical analyses, and astute interpretation, Jill Edy and Patrick Meirick present a convincing argument for how the evolving information environment has contributed to both a ‘falling apart’ and a ‘driving apart’ of public priorities. A Nation Fragmented is a necessary read for anyone interested in the relationship between the media and politics in contemporary democracies.”
—Michael X. Delli Carpini, Professor of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and author of After Broadcast News: Media Regimes, Democracy, and the New Information Environment

“Edy and Meirick’s exemplary book not only documents the fragmentation of the public agenda, it delves into reasons why the issues important to us have diversified and the consequences for governance. A Nation Fragmented is critical reading for anyone interested in understanding why the government doesn’t seem to address the right issues and how the media contribute to fragmentation. ”
—Natalie J. Stroud, Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Journalism and director of the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Niche News: The Politics of Choice

"Edy and Meirick provide a well-researched history of how Americans came to have a public agenda, what it’s used for, and how it has changed over time. They discuss how the public agenda, the issues the public feels need to be addressed, has changed with the rise of partisan media and internet communications and media. They also discuss the history and statistical evidence of how media influences what is seen as the public agenda and the issues that Americans find concerning. The authors' findings include that a lack of news viewership leads to a lack of consensus about what is important to the public agenda. They detail the political responsiveness, and then lack thereof, to the public agenda and provide ample statistical analysis with references and appendixes to back up the claims they make. Summing Up: Recommended."
— Choice

"(A)n investigation into the ways the U.S. public agenda fractured in the roughly forty-year period at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, and the part the media played in that process. It is a thoughtful and meticulous text.... With extensive empirical insights and an effective interrogation of both classic and contemporary communication theories, this book is well-suited for scholars, students, journalists, and members of the public interested in how and why the American people have become increasingly concerned with a greater number of issues at once."
— Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly

"(T)he authors are, at times, quite prescient in their expectations—particularly those regarding government response to a highly diversified public agenda.... Edy and Meirick’s warnings about the consequences of a fractured public agenda are well timed, and are perhaps better suited to the Trump era than the preceding one."
— Public Opinion Quarterly

" (D)iscusses the fragmentation of the public agenda and why it is important to diversify in governance.... Graduate students, scholars, and professionals interested in how public agenda, fragmentation, and the information age relate will find this book useful."
— Communication Booknotes Quarterly

" The authors of this book have assembled a wide range of information to explore what is going on and what is changing in terms of the media impact on the public agenda of a media saturated contemporary America. This is an extremely well sourced and referenced work."
— Communication Research Trends

" (A) relevant and timely resource for scholars, students, and practitioners…. This research reorients conventional thinking by illustrating that a diverse public agenda has not been the direct result of a more personalized media environment in itself. As a result, Edy and Meirick open doors for continued theorizing about the public’s agenda…. Edy and Meirick’s conversational approach makes their inquiry engaging to follow. This book succeeds in its mission to examine holistically the fragmentation of the public’s issue agenda. Readers interested in the dynamics of news, the public, and the issues that (should) unite a nation will find an abundance of insights in A Nation Fragmented."
— Mass Communication and Society

" Edy and Meirick argue that our inability to act for the common good is due not mainly to polarization but to fragmentation. There is no longer much consensus on which issue or issues are of central concern to the public…. A Nation Fragmented identifies an issue that has been underappreciated and subjects it to close analyses that will be valuable well beyond communications scholars for anyone hoping better to understand our current political situation."
— Political Science Quarterly

“ Longitudinal research is rarely a tidy endeavor, but Edy and Meirick handle it well.… Statistical tests are explained within chapters at a level understandable for early graduate students and advanced undergraduates, with robust appendices for experts who want to dig deeper into the methodology. Interpretation and ramifications of findings are handled with nuance and avoid overstatement. Together, it makes A Nation Fragmented an important read for scholars of public opinion and agenda setting, a worthy consideration for a seminar on the subject, and accessible enough for non-academic audiences to come away informed.”
— Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media