Chapter 6: Public Opinion Flashcards
9/11 attacks abnormality
widely agreed upon as an act of war and response with military was supported. Uncommon due to concensus of the american people.
Public opinion
the distribution of the populations beliefs about politics and policy issues
public opinion characteristics
saliency- how something stands out relative to its neighbors
intensity
stability
consensus opinion vs. diverse opinion
demography/demographics
the science of population changes
census
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
Immigration waves
before late 19th cent.: northwester Europeans
late nineteenth and early twentieth cent.: southern and eastern Europeans
Recently: Hispanics and asians
melting pot
the mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the nation. the us has a history of immigration
salad bowl
like the melting pot, but the cultures keep their own distinct qualities and also gain some mixed cultures (heterogeneous)
minority-majority
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
Simpson-Mazzoli Act
requires employers document the citizenship of all employees. employers can be charged for ignoring false papers or green cards
immigrants and public opinion
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
political culture
an overall set of values widely shared within a society
reapportionment
the process or reallocating seats in the house of reps every ten years on the basis of the census results
graying of america- social security
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
elderly and public opinion
as they are active in participation, policy tends to reflect their interests
political socialization
the process through which a young person acquires political orientations as they grow up based on inputs from parents, teachers, media, and friends
informal political socialization
non structured and picked up from surroundings
ex) family, school, friends, mass media, religion, location, real life experiences
formal political socialization
structured, taking a government class
family socialization
long emotional connection your whole life
genetic
or kids rebel against their parent’s beliefs
media socialization
lack of political knowledge but constant exposure and access to infor
school socialization
patriotism: national anthem and history classes
general public
americans care about issues affecting our day to day lives
issue public
issues concerning smaller groups
public opinion polls
a servery of public opinions from a particular sample designed to represent the opinions of a population created by Gallup in the 30s
sample
a relatively small portion of the population who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of a whole
random sampling
the key technique employed by sophisticated survey researchers which operates on the principle that everyone should have equal probability of being selected
sampling error
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
random digit dialing
technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conduction a survey
question wording
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?
bandwagon effect
voters who support a candidate because they see others doing so (effect of polls on democracy)
exit poll
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
criticism of public polls
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
public polls and democracy
help candidates detect public preferences
linkage
discourage leadership of politicians
politicians use to craft a public image and win support
polls reveal about americans
americans are poorly informed
some say schools are to blame others say media
decline of trust in the government
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
political ideology
a coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose it helps give meaning to public events, personalities, and policies
conservative
holding to traditional values and attitudes and cautious about change and innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion
liberal
open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values
gender gap
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
moderate
less of a set ideology, an individual who is neither extreme liberal or conservative
religiosity
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)
political participation
all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders and the policies they persure
conventional participation
widely accepted methods of influencing government
unconventional participation
includes more dramatic methods
protest
form of political participation designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics
civil disobediance
political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law considered to be immoral and to suffer the consequences
class, inequality, and participation
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
