Ch 9 Vocab

Question 0

Confidence level

Answer 0

The chance, measured in percent, that the result of the survey will fall with in the boundaries set by the margin of error

Question 1

Biased sample

Answer 1

A group of poll respondents that does not accurately represent the target population and provides inaccurate estimates of the true opinions and attitudes of the target population

Question 2

Delegate model of representative democracy

Answer 2

The idea that the job of the elected leaders is to make decisions solely based on the views of the majority of the people

Question 3

Direction

Answer 3

The idea of public opinion being either positive or negative

Question 4

Elite opinion

Answer 4

The attitudes or beliefs of those people with influential positions in society

Question 5

Ideology

Answer 5

A consistent set of values,attitudes, and beliefs about the appropriate role of government in society

Question 6

Instrumentation

Answer 6

The process of designing survey questionnaires

Question 7

Intensity

Answer 7

How strongly people hold the beliefs or attitudes that comprise public opinion

Question 8

Issue public

Answer 8

A section of the public with a strong interest in a particular issue

Question 9

Margin of error

Answer 9

The amount that sample responses are likely to differ from those of the population within very tight boundaries that are known as the confidence level

Question 10

Political culture

Answer 10

A set of shared beliefs that included broad agreements about basic political values, agreement about the legitimacy of political institutions, and general acceptance of the process government uses to make policy.

Question 11

Political participation

Answer 11

The translation of personal preferences into a voluntary action designed to influence public policy

Question 12

Political socialization

Answer 12

The process through which a younger generation learns political values from an previous generations

Question 13

Public opinion

Answer 13

The sum of individuals attitudes or beliefs about an issue or question

Question 14

Push poll

Answer 14

A type of public opinion poll that intentionally uses leading or biased questions in order to manipulate the responses

Question 15

Random sample

Answer 15

A method of selecting a sample(subset of the population) in which every person in the target population has an equal chance of being selected

Question 16

Reference groups

Answer 16

Groups that influence the political attitudes of non-group members

Question 17

Salience

Answer 17

The prominence or visibility of an issue or question and how important the issue is to the public

Question 18

Stability

Answer 18

The likelihood of changes in the direction of public opinion

Question 19

Straw polls

Answer 19

Unscientific polls based on nonrandom samples

Question 20

Trustee system of democracy

Answer 20

The idea that the job of elected leaders is to make decisions based on their own expertise and judgement, and not just make decisions based on the wishes and preference of constituents