chapter 8-9 flashcards
explain how public opinions are impacted by family
children first see the political world through a family’s eyes. they learn from what their parents say, and pick up fundamental attitudes, which creates a slant towards authority, property, neighbors, or people of other races
explain how public opinions are impacted by school
schools teach children the values of the American political system. they pick up growing amounts of political knowledge and opinions
explain how public opinions are impacted by the mass media
political advertisements, news, and social media
explain how public opinions are impacted by peer groups
people trust the views of their friends. as a result, they are usually reluctant to stray too far from what their peers think and how their peers behave
what does public affairs mean?
includes politics, public issues, and the making of public policies
what does public opinion mean?
attitudes held by a significant number
what does mass media mean?
communication at large
what does peer group mean?
people that you are with a lot
how does elections gauge public opinion?
elections are frequently interpreted as voters’ acceptance or rejection of a party platform. in fact, voting is affected by many factors and gives only a broad indication of public opinion
how do interest groups gauge public opinion?
interest groups pressure government officials to shape public policy in specific ways. it is difficult to tell how many citizens support such groups and how strongly they hold these views
how does the media gauge public opinion?
media is often said to “mirror” public opinion. in fact, they are not accurate mirrors because they may reflect only a vocal minority
how do personal contracts gauge public opinion?
political leaders try to gauge public opinion by addressing groups, reading mail, visiting home districts. it is difficult to “read” public opinion from such contracts
who do polls gauge public opinion?
polls, especially those based on scientific polling techniques, are the best measure of public opinion. they collect info about public opinion by asking people questions
step 1 of the polling process?
define the universe. figure out which group should be polled
step 2 of polling process?
construct a sample. random samples are drawn based on the law of probability, since in some cases, it is impossible to poll every person in a selected group.
