Ch.5

Question 1

The term public opinion is used to describe

Answer 1

The beliefs and attitudes that people have about issues.

Question 2

Variables such as income, education, race, gender, and ethnicity

Answer 2

Help explain differences of political opinion in America.

Question 3

Today, the term _____________ refers to an ideology that supports social and political reform, greater economic equality and expansion of government social services

Answer 3

Liberalism

Question 4

the process by which Americans learn political beliefs and values is called

Answer 4

Political Socialization

Question 5

Which of the following is not an agent of socialization?

Answer 5

Political attitudes

Question 6

When men and women respond differently to issues of public policy, this difference is an example of

Answer 6

The Gender Gap

Question 7

The fact that the public is inattentive to politics and must frequently rely on informational shortcuts has which of the following effects on American democracy?

Answer 7

Weakens it by making it easier for various institutions and political actors to manipulate the political process

Question 8

Which of the following are the most important external influences on how political opinions are formed in the marketplace of ideas?

Answer 8

The government, private groups, and the news media

Question 9

Which of the following is the term used in public-opinion polling to denote the small group representing the opinions of the whole population?

Answer 9

Sample

Question 10

A push poll is a poll in which

Answer 10

the questions are designed to shape the respondent’s opinion rather than measure the respondent’s opinion.

Question 11

A familiar polling problem is the “bandwagon effect”, which occurs when

Answer 11

Polling results influence people to support the candidate marked as the probable victor in the campaign.