Chapter 8 Flashcards
those attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of government and politics; the complex collection of the opinions of many different people; the sum of all their views
public opinion
those events and issues that concern the people at large like politics, public issues, and the making of public policies
public affairs
process how a person develops political views
political socialization
how does family influence Public opinion
- see parents opinions
- siblings come home with stories
- TV
How school influences public opinion?
- Pledge Allegiance
- Learn Historic Figures/ History Class
- Get Away from family influence
includes those means of communication that reach large audiences
mass media
People with whom one regularly associates themselves with like friends co workers
Peer Groups
How do peer groups influence you?
- peers trust the views of each other
- peers think the same
- influence behavior
any person who is usually strong influence on the views of others
Opinion Leaders
Who do opinion leaders target and how do they influence?
- focus on Minority
- possibly hold public office
- use of media
- regularly contact large of people
How do historic events influence public opinion?
- Arise topics never usually discussed
- EX: 9/11 = terrrorism
How did the depression influence the government and people?
It shifted from republican to democrat
Number 1 way to “measure public opinion”
Elections
2 factors of poor indication of public indication with Elections
- ) Candidates are chosen on personality not policies
2. ) Candidates do not agree with party politics - promise things they can’t provide
private organizations whose members share certain views and objective
interest groups
Biggest interest group
NRA
what it so hard for interest groups to do?
- ) Know how many people they represent
2. ) How strong people actually feel about views
mirrors or molders of public opinion
media
public officials try to be the voice of the people (politicians)
Personal contacts
Best way to measure public opinion
polls
First Poll
Literary digest 1936
polls of large groups of people. highly unreliable, not good representation, quantity over quality
straw vote
most accurate poll
scientific
5 steps to Poll
- ) Define the Universe
- ) Construct the Sample
- ) Well Drawn Q’s
- ) Interviewing
- ) Analyze findings
