1956 presidential campaign

This volume is a pioneering attempt to study the election process as a whole for the presidential election of 1956. It grew out of the five-volume study, Presidential Nominating Politics in 1952, by Paul T. David, Malcolm Moos, and Ralph M. Goldman, which was conducted under the auspices of the American Political Science Association. That volume, however, concluded with the political conventions.
The purpose of the study is to clarify the major interests, values, and activities that are combined in such a campaign and to explore the role of communications, organization, and goal-oriented behavior. These are of interest to both the social scientist and the political practitioner.

A related purpose of the analysis is to show what could be done with limited resources to provide the kinds of data on which judgements and classifications of candidates, statements on issues, and party behavior might be made. The study stands as a first trial, a model on which others may improve. Methods and access need refinement. Richer results will reward more sustained and sophisticated efforts. It is hoped that the present study may indicate some of the avenues worth exploring and represent an American counterpart of the British studies of general elections sponsored by Nuffield College, Oxford.