Public Opinion Flashcards
Public Opinion
The distribution of the population’s belief about politics and policy issues
Political Ideology
a set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose, which gives meaning to political events
Political Socialization
The process through which individuals in a society acquire political attitudes, views, and knowledge based on inputs from various sources
Agents of Socialization
The family, race, gender, religion, education, political climate, mass media, region, major events, political ideology
Gender Gap
a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the difference in views between men and women
Liberal
change
Conservative
Status Quo
Populist Movement
went against what the parties wanted, Jesse Ventura –> outsider
Initiative
people get to write laws then vote on them
Referendum
state makes laws then takes them to the people to have them vote (ex. school spending)
Public Opinion Polls
Define issues of concern, shape administrative decisions, speed up democracy
Literary Digest
1916 - mailed millions of surveys to predict presidential elections 1920-1932 (got it correct). Afterwords, they called phones during the Great Depression and got it wrong b/c only the rich had phones.
Selection Bias
errors in the selection/placement of subjects into groups that result in differences between groups which could effect the results of an experiment
Walter Lippmann
Random sampling - wrote a book about scientific polls, everyone who is eligible to vote has an equal opportunity to be asked
George Gallop
1932 - hoped that polling could contribute to the democratic process by providing a way for public desires to be heard other than at elections. “father of public opinion”
Sample
small group of people who are chosen to represent the whole for a survey
Sample Size
larger - better results but more expensive
small - 1000-1500?
Sample Error
the level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. More interviewed, more confident
Random Digit-Dialing
technique used by pollsters to call listed and unlisted numbers during a survey
Salient Interests
how important an issue is to an individual
Bandwagon Effect
may distort election process through polls
Straw Polls
unscientific surveys
Exit Polls
public opinion surveys used by major media to predict electoral winners
Demography
the science of population changes
Census
every 10 yrs, valuable tool for understanding population change
Immigrant Society
US is a nation of immigrants
- NW Europeans
- SE Europeans
- Asians and Hispanics
Minority Majority
beginning in mid 21st century, minority groups together will represent the majority
Reapportionment
reallocating seats in the HR every 10 yrs according to the census
Push polling
Questions on a survey that lead you on
Misplaced Self-Interest
knowing what you want, not knowing how to get it
Margin of Error
measure of accuracy in public opinion poll +-3%
Heritage Foundation
conservative think tank in DC to promote conservative public policies, free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values and strong notional offense
Brookings Institute
liberal think tank in DC
Jesse Ventura
Outsider, one time governor of Minnesota
Civil Disobedience
political participation based on decision to break a law believed to be unjust
WMD’s
Weapon of Mass Destruction - government made it seem like Iraq had WMD, so public opinion supported their invasion. However, they had none.
Bush Tax Cuts
tax breaks created during Bush’s presidency - congress recently voted to extend it for 2 years as part of a compromise (republicans get tax cuts, democrats get extension of unemployment benefits). This is an example of misplaced interest
Horse Race Politics
tendency of media to report on an election as if it were a horse race - ahead, behind, gaining ground
Tracking Polls
continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news org. to chart a candidate’s daily rise/fall in support
Spin
a form of propaganda achieved through providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion
