Public Opinion Flashcards
What is an example of Ireland of the public reacting widely to something?
Widespread turnout to ban 8th amendment to allow less restrictive abortion laws.
Why is public opinion important to democracy?
- We believe public opinion should influence what government does.
- a lot of people behave as if public opinion does matter, which makes it a factor in US politics.
What are some examples of a shift to a focus on citizenship in democracy?
Seventeenth amendment gave election to citizens rather than the state legislature.
The electoral college shifted from a group of enlightened individuals to the public’s selection
What are the two views of the average American citizen in terms of politics?
- The ideal democratic citizen who is attentive to politics
- The lazy self interested citizen who is apolitical
What are some examples of the public reacting to political moments in the US recently?
2006 midterm elections dems did well bc republicans supported war in Iraq.
Protests after trumps election over women’s rights among other things
George Floyd videos online
Do modern presidents pay attention to public opinion?
Yes, greatly
Are Americans well informed about their political system?
No
Do Americans have good voter turnout?
No
What is political socialization?
where we learn our earliest opinions transferred from generation to generation
What is the biggest influence on our political development?
Out family
What is the spiral of silence?
when minority voices silence themselves in the face of majority consensus
What are some of the things that effects ones political views
Family, Race, Gender, stage in life, where you live
What are political generations?
Groups of citizens who have been shaped by particular events, usually in their youth and whose shared experience continues to identify them throughout their lives
Does congress use phone calls and mail more than polls to gather public opinion?
yes
What are straw polls?
The original type of poll that was trying to find the way the political ‘wind’ was blowing
What is an example of sampling bias?
For random phone calls, elderly women are more likely to pick up than young men because they have more free time.
What creates a right question for polls?
Respondents should be asked about things they know about, and questions should not be ambiguous.
Who are some groups that frequently create national polls?
ABC News, Washington Post, CBS/NYT
What are tracking polls?
Theyre used by campaigns and ran daily, they average overtime and provide a dynamic view of voters perceptions.
What is a push poll?
A subset of a pseudo poll, its goal is to change peoples attitudes. Some legislation has been put up against push polling.
Are polls usually accurate?
Yes, usually in recent times it has predicted the popular vote correctly, sometimes not electoral college
What is the idea of rational ignorance?
That a lot of people don’t have time for politics so it is rational for them to be ignorant
