Citizen Attitudes Toward Issues of Federalism in Canada, Mexico, and the United States

Abstract

Public opinion is often said to affect the distribution of powers in federal systems, the legitimacy of the orders of government, and system functions. However, there is little comparative empirical and longitudinal research on public attitudes toward federalism. Using several years of surveys conducted in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, we examine public attitudes about the treatment of constituent units, trust in the various orders of government, government value, power distribution, and federal political culture. We find many similarities, as well as significant differences, between public attitudes toward federalism issues in these North American federations.