Chapter 5 Flashcards
Survey research
Gathering of information about public opinion by questioning a representative sample of the population
Public opinion
Aggregate of presences and opinions of individuals on significant issues.
Halo effect
Tendency of survey respondents to provide socially acceptable answers to questions
Bradley effect
Tendency of white voters to not express opposition to a black candidate to pollsters in order to not appear racist
Salient issues
Issues about which most people have an opinion
Socialization
The learning of a culture and its values
Diffuse support(for the political system)
Goodwill toward governmental authority learned early in life
Generation gap
Differences i politics and public opinion among age groups
Gender gap
Aggregate differences in political opinions between men and women
Suffrage
Legal right to vote
Property qualification
Early American state requirement of property ownership in order to vote
White primary
Democratic Party primary elections in many southern counties in the early part of the twentieth century that excluded black people from voting
Literacy test
Examination of a persons ability to read and write as a prerequisite to voter registration outlawed by voting rights act (1965) as discriminatory
Poll taxes
Taxes imposed as a prerequisite to voting; prohibited by the 24th amendment
19th amendment
The 1920s constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote
26th amendment
The 1971 constitutional amendment guaranteeing 18-year olds the right to vote
Motor voter act
Federal mandate that states offer voter registration at drivers licensing and welfare offices
Turnout
Number of voters who actually cast ballots in an election as a percentage of people legible to register and vote
Registration
Requirement hat prospective voters establish their identity and place of residence prior to an election in order to be legible to vote
Political alienation
Belief that politics is irrelevant to ones life and that one cannot personally affect public affairs
Protests
Public marches or demonstrations designed to call attention to an issue and motivate others to apply pressure on public officials
Civil disobedience
Form of public protest involving the breaking of laws believed to be unjust
What is the most common way people participate in politics expressing their political opinion?
The ballot
Why is public opinion considered important in democracies?
Democratic governments rest on the consent of the governed
Do most Americans follow politics closely enough to develop well informed opinions on many public issues?
No
What is the first agent of socialization in a child’s life?
Family
What is the major source for political information for Americans?
Television
