6 - Public Opinion and Political Action

Question 1

public opinion

Answer 1

The distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues.

Question 2

demography

Answer 2

The science of population changes.

Question 3

census

Answer 3

An “actual enumeration” of the population, which the Constitution requires that the government conduct every 10 years. The census is a valuable tool for understanding demographic changes.

Question 4

melting pot

Answer 4

The term often used to characterize the United States, with its history of immigration and mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples.

Question 5

minority majority

Answer 5

The situation, likely beginning in the mid-21st century, in which the non-Hispanic whites will represent a minority of the US population and minority groups together will represent a majority.

Question 6

political culture

Answer 6

An overall set of values widely shared within a society.

Question 7

reapportionment

Answer 7

The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.

Question 8

political socialization

Answer 8

The process through which individuals in a society acquire political attitudes, views, and knowledge, based on inputs from family, schools, the media, and others.

Question 9

sample

Answer 9

A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole.

Question 10

random sampling

Answer 10

The key technique employed by survey researchers, which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample.

Question 11

sampling error

Answer 11

The level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. The more people interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results.

Question 12

random-digit dialing

Answer 12

A technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey.

Question 13

exit poll

Answer 13

Public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision.

Question 14

political ideology

Answer 14

A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose, which helps give meaning to political events.

Question 15

gender gap

Answer 15

The regular pattern in which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates, in part because they tend to be less conservative than men and more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending.

Question 16

political participation

Answer 16

All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. The most common means of political participation in a democracy is voting; other means include protest and civil disobedience.

Question 17

protest

Answer 17

A form of political participation designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics.

Question 18

civil disobedience

Answer 18

A form of political participation based on a conscious decision to break a law believed to be unjust and to suffer the consequences.

Question 19

Which of the following is the fastest-growing group in the United States?

Answer 19

Hispanics

Question 20

Based on the regional shift, which of these states would have been expected to gain representation following the 2010 census?

Answer 20

Arizona

Question 21

What are some possible consequences—political, social, and economic—of each of the important demographic changes that are occurring—the emergence of a minority majority, the regional shift, and the graying of America?
Do you think that these changes will strengthen or weaken political culture in the United States? Explain your answer.

Answer 21

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Question 22

The main source of political socialization WITHIN the school context is government and civics classes.
True/False?

Answer 22

False

Question 23

As people grow older,

Answer 23

Turnout and strength of party identification increase

Question 24

Discuss how family, media, and school each contribute to the political socialization process in the United States. Why is political socialization crucial to a democracy? Given that it is crucial, how might the socialization process in the United States be improved?

Answer 24

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Question 25

Which of the following ensures that the opinions of several hundred million Americans can be inferred through polling?

Answer 25

Random Sampling

Question 26

Years of polling data reveal that Americans tend to be very engaged in and well informed about politics.
True/False?

Answer 26

False

Question 27

The biggest consequence of declining trust in government has been a lack of support for the government during times of international crisis.
True/False?

Answer 27

False

Question 28

What are the benefits of polling in a democracy, and what are some possible problems? What are three main obstacles to conducting a reliable public opinion poll? How serious are these obstacles, and how might they be partly overcome? Explain your answer.

Answer 28

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Question 29

Americans are more likely to be conservative than liberal. True/False?

Answer 29

True

Question 30

Which of the following statements about political ideology in America is NOT accurate?

Answer 30

Men are more likely to be liberal than women

Question 31

What did the classic study The American Voter conclude about whether Americans think in ideological terms? What have more recent studies on the subject found?

Answer 31

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Question 32

Have differences between liberals and conservatives in American politics today contributed to a culture war? Give an opinion and support it with concrete examples.

Answer 32

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Question 33

Which of the following types of political participation is most common in the United States?

Answer 33

Voting in elections

Question 34

Civil disobedience is a form of conventional political participation. True/False?

Answer 34

False

Question 35

What are some of the main inequalities in American political participation? In your opinion, to what extent are these inequalities a potential problem for American democracy? Explain

Answer 35

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Question 36

Which of the following statements about American public opinion is NOT supported by evidence from survey data?

Answer 36

All of the following are supported by evidence:

Americans generally believe that the government is trying to do too many things

Americans usually favor more spending on education programs

Americans usually favor more spending on environmental programs

Americans usually favor more spending on fighting crime

Question 37

What do the public opinion data that show Americans to be uninformed and uninvolved in politics say about the strength of American democracy? Are there any shortcuts that citizens may take to evaluate the government rationally but without extensive knowledge of government and policy?

Answer 37

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