---
title: "The Vocal Minority In American Politics"
description: "Report Summary American public opinion is being distorted and exaggerated by the voices that dominate the airwaves of talk radio, clog the White House switchboard when a Zoe Baird stumbles, and respond to call-in polls. In the current environment, these new voices of public opinion can caricature discontent with American political institutions, rather than genuinely […]"
date: "1993-07-16"
authors:
  - name: "Pew Research Center"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/1993/07/16/the-vocal-minority-in-american-politics/"
categories:
  - "Politics & Policy"
---

# The Vocal Minority In American Politics

## Report Summary

American public opinion is being distorted and exaggerated by the voices that dominate the airwaves of talk radio, clog the White House switchboard when a Zoe Baird stumbles, and respond to call-in polls.

In the current environment, these new voices of public opinion can caricature discontent with American political institutions, rather than genuinely reflect public disquiet. Notably, the vocal minority sounds a conservative tone on many issues, and is much more critical of Bill Clinton and his policies than is the average American.

These are the principal findings of a series of recently conducted surveys by the **Times Mirror Center for the People and the Press** designed to explore how Americans are making their voices heard, and the ways in which the distinctive views of the vocal minority differ from the rest of the population.