The Political Consequences of
Internal Dissent in Interest Groups:
The AMA, Public Opinion and
Health Care Reform
Maryann Barakso
barakso@polsci.umass.edu
Political Science Department
Experiment 1
 The American Medical Association is a national
organization that represents doctors and other
medical professionals throughout the United
States. They endorsed the health care reform
legislation that was enacted into law earlier this
year. [Your state medical association
opposed that legislation.]
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Confidence in Associations by HCR Support and
Experimental condition
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Experiment 2
 Some people have argued that the health
care system should include a governmentadministered public health insurance option
to compete with private plans. [Despite
significant disagreement within the
organization] the American Medical
Association [supported/opposed] such a
plan.
 4 Conditions: Support/no dissent, oppose/no
dissent, support/dissent, oppose/dissent
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Proportion of Less Engaged Respondents
Supporting Public Option
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