Political Socialization & Public Opinion

Question 1

What is political socialization?

Answer 1

The process by which political culture is created, maintained, transmitted and changed. The process by which individuals acquire political knowledge, beliefs, values and attitudes about politics and government.

Question 2

What are agents of political socialization?

Answer 2

Actors and institutes that influence how we understand and interpret the political world and how we view our place in it.

Question 3

What are the primary agents of political socialization?

Answer 3

• The family
• Educational Institutes
• Peers
• The media

Question 4

How does the family politically socialize?

Answer 4

Informally and formally; values, beliefs, attitudes, norms, social location, etc.

Question 5

How do educational institutes politically socialize?

Answer 5

The person teaching gets to decide what you learn, and what you should know. (Curriculum).
Process of instruction can shape political ideas intentionally or non-intentionally. Play a role in political trust, efficacy, alienation.

Question 6

How do peers politically socialize?

Answer 6

Can reinforce or change our political views, help us interpret the various messages about politics and government as we age. Think that world around us mirrors our peer group (but it doesn’t).

Question 7

What are some problems of the transmission of Canadian political culture from the Media?

Answer 7

• journalistic bias
• conglomeration of ownership
• divide between French and English media
• Americanization
• tends to simplify complex information or ignore complex issues altogether
• entertainment over political events (sound bites rule political media broadcasting)
• increasingly specialized channels allow us to only receive information and views that we already subscribe to

Question 8

What are the secondary agents of political socialization?

Answer 8

1. political parties
2. religious institutions
3. voluntary organizations
4. the government
5. corporations
6. think tanks

Question 9

What is public opinion?

Answer 9

The collective view of a defined population. Revealed through an aggregate of individual-level views, attitudes and beliefs about a specific issue, problem, event or actor. (Find common view from sample of individual views).

Question 10

What are some possible effects of public opinion polls on elections?

Answer 10

• agenda setting (what to think about)
• issue priming/framing (how to think about an issue)
• agenda/issue hijacking
• horse race reporting over comparative platform analysis
• can influence party morale, campaign momentum, finances, etc. (positively or negatively)
• voter turnout