Ch 6 Public Opinion & Political Socialization

Question 1

Public Opinion

def?

Answer 1

what the ppl think about an issue or set of issues @ any given point in time
-like a picture which can change later on presenting how ppl feel @ time

Question 2

Goal of Public Opinion

Polls, def?

Answer 2

interviews or surveys of a sample of citizens defining issues of concern to the public that shape administrative decisions

Question 3

Goal of Public Opinion

polls, should candidates & politicians follow polls?

Answer 3

-want balance to pay attention to what ppl want & lead by what’s fair & constitutional

Question 4

Public Considerations
“Straw Polls”
are straw polls bad? why?

Answer 4

straw polls=no value

• unscientific bc they take a self-selected group & survey them about how they feel on an issue
  
  • not random sample -usually on internet (rate this..)

Question 5

Public Considerations
“Straw Polls”
do different organizations mess with polls differently? what poll did Romney use?

Answer 5

different organizations poll differently causing bias like w/ Romney using push-polls

Question 6

Public Considerations

Representative quality, goal?

Answer 6

Sampling to make sure it represents population

Question 7

Public Considerations
Representative quality, what affects this?
(6)

Answer 7

time of day
presumption of telephones, cells, internet
-overcompensate for cellphones
trust in interviewer
intensity of issue
-willing to talk about uniforms rather than terrorism
size of sample
limited choice of answer/options
-now narrative interview, not just 2 choices

Question 8

Content & Phrasing the questions

which polls do this on purpose?

Answer 8

often used in so-called Push-Polls

-polls that elicit a specific response (by wording)

Question 9

Indicators to measure public opinion through polling (3)

Answer 9

Direction
Stability
Intensity

Question 10

Indicators to measure public opinion through polling: Direction
def? ex?

Answer 10

proportion of public that hold a point of view

Ex) Americans are pro-DP

Question 11

Indicators to measure public opinion through polling: Stability

Answer 11

how long a point of view is held; DP is considered stable bc it’s been the majority opinion for a long time
(never dropped below 50%)

Question 12

Indicators to measure public opinion through polling: Intensity

Answer 12

depth of feeling (how important the issue is)

Question 13

what is the problem with “exit” polls

Answer 13

biased, when asked, they want to say what’s popular

surveys taken @ site of election when leaving after polls

Question 14

Political Socialization

what is it?

Answer 14

(how you came to this view on politics) (1st political memory?)

Question 15

Political Socialization

factors that influence opinion formation (9)

Answer 15

The family (most influential)
The mass media
School & Peers
Impact of Events
Social Groups
-religion
-race
-gender
-region

Question 16

The American Voter (Book)

what did this book define?

Answer 16

how politically sophisticated was the average American?

Question 17

The American Voter (Book)

what were some of the terms to define the average American on his knowledge of politics? (5)

Answer 17

Ideologue
Near Ideologue
Group Benefits
Nature of the Times
No Issue Content

Question 18

The American Voter (Book): Ideologue

Answer 18

spontaneous knowledge of candidates, issues, and political spectrum

Question 19

The American Voter (Book): Near Ideologue

Answer 19

can accurately define liberal v conservative perspectives (broader, not as elite)

Question 20

The American Voter (Book): Group Benefits

Answer 20

understands politics in relation to peer group &/or other personal/professional association
(political views built around ppl they were with, largest # in electoral college)

Question 21

The American Voter (Book): Nature of the Times

Answer 21

political orientation based on temporal experience
ex) Reagan? Graduated & it was great so he was great
(not sophisticated)

Question 22

The American Voter (Book): No Issue Content

Answer 22

utterly clueless about politics

Question 23

knowledge of politics correlates with what?

Answer 23

voting participation

Question 24

better democracy if everyone paid attention?

Answer 24

yes

Question 25

democratic experiment in America, has it been successful?

Answer 25

yes