This research is an extension and expansion of a longitudinal study of the general public's attitudes toward political parties and the party system. The study explores three kinds of public orientations toward parties. The first incorporates several measures of partisan identification and political independence previously used by the PI. The second focuses on public reactions to the two-party system and the entry of third parties to challenging the present party duopoly. The final set of public orientations turns to measuring the degree of approval of partisanship and party competition, and the role of special interest groups, social movements and the mass media for providing alternative means of citizen representation. The study relies on a variety of attitudinal questions being asked in a nation-wide survey. The study establishes another data point and provides the PI the opportunity to test current claims that public legitimation of political parties has drifted over time.
