Chapter 8 definitions

Question 1

public opinion

Answer 1

attitudes helped by a significant amount of people on matters of government and politics; collection of opinions from many different people; all people agree on almost no issue

Question 2

public affairs

Answer 2

those events and issues that concern the public at large (politics, public policies, etc)

Question 3

political socialization

Answer 3

the process of being exposed to and learning about politics

Question 4

mass media

Answer 4

means of communication that reach large, widely disperse audiences simutaneously

Question 5

peer groups

Answer 5

people whom we regularly associate with

Question 6

opinion leader

Answer 6

a person who has an unusually strong influence on the views of others

Question 7

mandate

Answer 7

instructions or demands the voters give to elected officials

Question 8

interest groups

Answer 8

private organizations whose members share certain views and objectives and work to shape the making and content of public policies

Question 9

public opinion polls

Answer 9

attempt to collect information by asking people questions

Question 10

straw votes

Answer 10

ask the same question to a large amount of people

Question 11

sample

Answer 11

a representative slice of the people to be polled

Question 12

random sample

Answer 12

randomly selected people who fit the definition of people to be polled

Question 13

quota sample

Answer 13

deliberately constructed to reflect the major characteristics of those polled

Question 14

medium

Answer 14

a means of communication

Question 15

public agenda

Answer 15

societal problems that the nation’s political leaders and the general public agree need government attention