Chapter #5 Flashcards
Public opinion
The collective attitudes of citizens concerning a given issue or question
Opinion polling
Interviewing a sample of citizens to estimate public opinion as a whole
Random sample
A sample where every individual of the population in question has the same chance of being selected to participate in a survey
Skewed distribution
An asymmetrical but generally bell shaped distribution it’s mode or most frequent response, lies off to one side
Bimodal distribution
A distribution that shows two responses being chosen about as frequently as each other
Normal distribution
A symmetrical bell shaped distribution centered on a single mode, of most frequent response
Stave distribution
A distribution that shows little change over time
Political socialization
The complex process by which people acquire their political values
Transmission model
The theory that parents transmit their partisan identification to their children
Civic education
School curricula that aim to prepare students for meaningful engagement with democratic processes
Socioeconomic status
Position in society based on a combination of education, occupational status, and income
Symbolic ideology
The ideological label that people use to describe themselves
Operational ideology
The ideological label that appropriately describes one’s policy positions
Self interest principle
The implication that people choose what benefits them personally
Sociotropic responses
Opinions about how the country as a whole is doing affect political preferences more strongly than one’s own personal circumstance
