DIRECTING ELECTORAL APPEALS AWAY FROM THE CENTER - ISSUE POSITION ANDISSUE SALIENCE

This study analyzes issues used repeatedly by the ANES in studying pre sidential races, 1972-88. Three conclusions stand out in the findings: (1) on issues offering concentrated benefits and diffuse or deferred costs, there is a correlation between issue position and issue salienc e; (2) those issues tend to be most salient to strong proponents, and of almost no salience to strong opponents; (3) consequently, the optim al candidate location on such issues is not at the mean preference of the electorate, but between that preference and the preference of the strong proponents of each issue.