Chapter 6: Public Opinion

Question 1

9/11 attacks abnormality

Answer 1

widely agreed upon as an act of war and response with military was supported. Uncommon due to concensus of the american people.

Question 2

Public opinion

Answer 2

the distribution of the populations beliefs about politics and policy issues

Question 3

public opinion characteristics

Answer 3

saliency- how something stands out relative to its neighbors
intensity
stability
consensus opinion vs. diverse opinion

Question 4

demography/demographics

Answer 4

the science of population changes

Question 5

census

Answer 5

a valuable tool used for understanding demographic trends. The US Constitution requires that the government conduct an actual “enumeration” of the population every 10 years

Question 6

Immigration waves

Answer 6

before late 19th cent.: northwester Europeans
late nineteenth and early twentieth cent.: southern and eastern Europeans
Recently: Hispanics and asians

Question 7

melting pot

Answer 7

the mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the nation. the us has a history of immigration

Question 8

salad bowl

Answer 8

like the melting pot, but the cultures keep their own distinct qualities and also gain some mixed cultures (heterogeneous)

Question 9

minority-majority

Answer 9

the emergence of a non-Caucasian majority as compared with a white, generally Anglo-Saxon majority. it is predicted that by 2045 the total population of minorities will outnumber white people

Question 10

Simpson-Mazzoli Act

Answer 10

requires employers document the citizenship of all employees. employers can be charged for ignoring false papers or green cards

Question 11

immigrants and public opinion

Answer 11

asians are the most well off and native americans the least
a lot of focus is directed to African Americans
there is less participation from immigrants and minorities as they tend to have lower SES and they are under counted in the census due to gov’t distrust

Question 12

political culture

Answer 12

an overall set of values widely shared within a society

Question 13

reapportionment

Answer 13

the process or reallocating seats in the house of reps every ten years on the basis of the census results

Question 14

graying of america- social security

Answer 14

the amount of older people is growing extremely fast and as more people are put on social security. this pressure is increasing and american workers are paying for social security

Question 15

elderly and public opinion

Answer 15

as they are active in participation, policy tends to reflect their interests

Question 16

political socialization

Answer 16

the process through which a young person acquires political orientations as they grow up based on inputs from parents, teachers, media, and friends

Question 17

informal political socialization

Answer 17

non structured and picked up from surroundings

ex) family, school, friends, mass media, religion, location, real life experiences

Question 18

formal political socialization

Answer 18

structured, taking a government class

Question 19

family socialization

Answer 19

long emotional connection your whole life
genetic
or kids rebel against their parent’s beliefs

Question 20

media socialization

Answer 20

lack of political knowledge but constant exposure and access to infor

Question 21

school socialization

Answer 21

patriotism: national anthem and history classes

Question 22

general public

Answer 22

americans care about issues affecting our day to day lives

Question 23

issue public

Answer 23

issues concerning smaller groups

Question 24

public opinion polls

Answer 24

a servery of public opinions from a particular sample designed to represent the opinions of a population created by Gallup in the 30s

Question 25

sample

Answer 25

a relatively small portion of the population who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of a whole

Question 26

random sampling

Answer 26

the key technique employed by sophisticated survey researchers which operates on the principle that everyone should have equal probability of being selected

Question 27

sampling error

Answer 27

the level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. the more people interviewed the more confident one can be of the results

Question 28

random digit dialing

Answer 28

technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conduction a survey

Question 29

question wording

Answer 29

word altering can change results if the question is pushing you to answer one way
ex.) Do you support a women’s choice to make decisions regarding abortions and reproductive health? vs. Do you support women who kill their unborn fetuses?

Question 30

bandwagon effect

Answer 30

voters who support a candidate because they see others doing so (effect of polls on democracy)

Question 31

exit poll

Answer 31

public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision, but can discourage voters as east coast winners will be revealed before west coast votes

Question 32

criticism of public polls

Answer 32

discourages bold leadership and makes politicians followers, not leaders
bandwagon effect
exit polls downsides
can misrepresent opinion if not worded right or high sampling error

Question 33

public polls and democracy

Answer 33

help candidates detect public preferences
linkage
discourage leadership of politicians
politicians use to craft a public image and win support

Question 34

polls reveal about americans

Answer 34

americans are poorly informed

some say schools are to blame others say media

Question 35

decline of trust in the government

Answer 35

low with Vietnam and Watergate rose in 9/11 but fell again in 2006
some say cynicism keeps politicians on their toes others say is is a sign of lack of consent in the government

Question 36

political ideology

Answer 36

a coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose it helps give meaning to public events, personalities, and policies

Question 37

conservative

Answer 37

holding to traditional values and attitudes and cautious about change and innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion

Question 38

liberal

Answer 38

open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values

Question 39

gender gap

Answer 39

a term that refers to the pattern by which women are more likely to be more liberal and support democratic candidates and ideals. Support spending on social services and not the military

Question 40

moderate

Answer 40

less of a set ideology, an individual who is neither extreme liberal or conservative

Question 41

religiosity

Answer 41

affects how religion will effect political ideology
degree to which religion is important in ones life
Jewish people tend to be liberal (use to have Catholics but now there is a small gap between Protestants and Catholics)

Question 42

political participation

Answer 42

all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders and the policies they persure

Question 43

conventional participation

Answer 43

widely accepted methods of influencing government

Question 44

unconventional participation

Answer 44

includes more dramatic methods

Question 45

protest

Answer 45

form of political participation designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics

Question 46

civil disobediance

Answer 46

political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law considered to be immoral and to suffer the consequences

Question 47

class, inequality, and participation

Answer 47

citizens of higher SES are more likely to vote and contribute to campaigns
poor rates of participation in african americans are linked to lower social status