Issue

Annie Waldherr , University of Vienna, Austria
annie.waldherr@univie.ac.at

Issues are the subject matters on which opinions are formed. In their broadest sense, issues can be understood as overarching themes or topics of concern. They bind together a range of similar events, facts, or concepts to broader categories of meaning and can touch various areas of social life, including politics, economics, culture, etc. In public discourse and political communication, issues are understood as social problems or matters of contention, often playing out as conflicts between different groups. Thus, in a narrower sense, the term issue is used for a topic that is problematised and politicised.

The process of issue definition is the first important step of political agenda building. It includes identifying a social problem as such, raising awareness for it, and acknowledging that it needs attention and action from policymakers. In agenda setting studies, issues are the main object of scientific inquiry. Scholars study how salient issues are among the public using surveys or analysing media coverage.

Issues can be contested to different degrees. Generally, valence issues are distinguished from position issues. For valence issues, there is broad consensus on the desired goal, and debate primarily focuses on how to achieve it, and who is more competent in doing so (e.g., economic prosperity, national security). Position issues, in contrast, are divisive issues where actors disagree on the goals and take divergent stances (e.g., immigration, abortion rights).

Keywords: agenda, salience, topic

Related Entries: Agenda-setting, Politicisation

References:
Cobb, R. W., & Elder, C. D. (1983). Participation in American politics: The dynamics of agenda-building. Johns Hopkins.
Moniz, P., & Wlezien, C. (2020). Issue salience and political decisions. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1361
Stokes, D.E. (1963). Spatial models of party competition. American Political Science Review 57, 368–377.