Public Opinion : 9/14/15 Flashcards
________ information is one person’s opinion.
Subjective
_______ information reviews many points of view and is intended to be unbiased.
Objective
The aggregation of views by a segment of society on issues of interest or concern is called _____ ____.
These views may focus on f_____ p____, d______, or l____ p____ issues.
Public opinion, foreign policy, domestic, local policy
Public opinion helps leaders shape _____ ____.
Public policy
______ _____ are the choices the government makes and the actions it takes in response to a particular issue or problem.
Public policy
_____ _____ also indicates how well the government is responding to the will of the people.
Public opinion
P_____ o_____ can be viewed in two ways: The first is to consider the “____” as a s____, centralized body. The second view is that the public is many s_____, individual “_____” each with its opinion on one or a few issues.
Public opinion, public, single, separate, publics
Responsible c_____ try to shape p_____ o______. They may express their opinions by: Writing w__ l__, l___ to the mayor, t______ at a public hearing, take part in m_____ or demonstrations.
Citizens, public opinion, web logs, letters, testifying, marches
Many citizens also join and support g_____ or o________ that represent their views.
Groups, organizations
Responsible c______ express their opinions on v_____.
Citizens, voting
The o_____ of any e_____ (local, states, or federal) reflects overall p______ o_____ about the c______ or i____ being voted on.
Outcome, elections, public opinion, candidate, issue
People may vote for a candidate because he or she agrees with their general views, is the ________, shares their view on a single issue.
Incumbent
People’s opinions are influenced by several factors, including their f____, f____, s____, social characteristics, mass media, w___, a__, gender, race, and religion.
Family, friends, school, work, age
The process by which people acquire political beliefs is called _______ __________. In most cases, the political party of the parents becomes the party of their children.
Political socialization
More than ___-_____ of all voters continue to favor the political party their parents supported.
Two-thirds
______ is where we formally learn about government, citizenship, and other values.
School
Experiences in the l___ t___ and e___ t_____ also help shape personal o______. At that stage, people are more independent of f_____ influences.
Late teens, early twenties, opinions, family
In some cases, a person’s r______ b____ might influence his or her opinions about m______, a_____, p____ in school, and other public policy issues.
Religious beliefs, marriage, abortion, prayer
M___, especially _______, provide political information and images that can directly influence political attitudes.
Media, television
The way the media depicts different groups in society can either discredit or create __________.
Stereotypes
The ________ especially has a tremendous influence on people’s opinion.
President
________ who come across s_____, p________, and i________ are particularly effective in influencing opinions on major issues.
Lawmakers, sincere, personable, intelligent
Most individuals are unaware that ______ ________ occurs in their lives because it is a slow process that happens over a lifetime.
Political socialization
People do not realize that this socialization has a direct effect upon their feelings of ________ ______.
Political efficacy
________ ______ refers to an individual’s feelings of effectiveness in politics.
Political efficacy
Without c_____ p________, d__________ would be unable to realize the concept of government.
Citizen participation, democracies
Every nation in the world has a _______ _____, a set of basic values and beliefs about a nation and its government that most citizens share.
Political culture
Support for the C________ and B___ of R_____, commitment to the idea of the political e_____, belief in the v____ of p______ p_____, and an emphasis on individual a___________.
Constitution, Bill of Rights, equality, virtue of private property, achievement
American p_______ c______ helps shape p____ o______ in the United States in two ways: 1. A c_____ for o_____. 2. S______ i______.
Political culture, public opinion, context for opinions, screening information
P______ o______ on any issue or problem almost always fits within the limits the p______ c_____ sets.
Public opinion, political culture
A nation’s p______ c______ also influences how its citizens interpret what they see and hear every day.
Political culture
An ________ is a set of basic beliefs about life, culture, government, and society.
Ideology
____ show that many people express inconsistent opinions on issues.
Polls
American political values tend to fall into two broad but distinct patterns of opinions toward government and public policies. : ________ and __________.
Liberal, conservative
A ______ believes the government should actively promote h_____, e______, and j_____.
Liberal, health, education, justice
_______ are willing to curtail economic f_______ to increase e______.
Liberals, freedom, equality
______ believe the government should not restrict most i________ f______.
Liberals, individual freedoms
A ___________ believes in limiting the role of g________, except in supporting traditional moral values.
Conservative, government
__________ believe in p______ i________, not the government, should solve social problems. They oppose government l________ on businesses and believe f___ m______ ensure the best economic outcomes.
Conservative, private individuals, limitations, free market
_________ fall between liberals and conservatives.
Moderates
A _________ may want the government to regulate business and support traditional values.
Moderate
__________ support both economic and social freedoms–free markets and unrestricted speech.
Libertarians
An _________ ______ is a group of people who share common goals and organize to influence government.
Interest group
In ___ _________, No. __ J_____ M______ referred to “______” as groups of people united to promote special interests.
The Federalist, 10, James Madison, factions
________ ______ nominate candidates for office and try to win elections gain control of the government.
Political parties
________ _____ may support candidates who favor their ideas, but they do not nominate candidates for office.
Interest groups
_______ _____ try to influence government officials to support certain policies.
Interest groups
Another difference between IG’s and PP’s is that i_______ g_____ usually are concerned with only a few issues or specific problems*.
Interest groups
You may be part of a _____ _____ ___– a survey of people scientifically selected to provide opinions about something.
Public opinion poll
_______ ______ is a way to determine public attitudes or preferences about consumer products, social issues, and political candidates.
Scientific polling
The first key to a poll’s accuracy is the _____, or group of people who take part in the poll. Second, for poll results to be accurate, the ______ must be chosen at random from the ______ ______. Finally, the way questions are w_____ or the o____ in which they are asked can affect a poll’s accuracy.
Sample, sample, sample universe, worded, order
A reliable poll states its ______ of ____, or uncertainty level.
Margin of error
The ______ of ___, or __________ _____, indicates a poll’s accuracy, and is given as a __________ above and below the poll’s results.
Margin of error, sampling error, percentage
In polling, ___ refers to errors introduced by polling methods that lead to one outcome over others.
Bias
_________ is freedom from bias and outside factors, such as t____, that may influence results.
Objectivity, timing
Another common type of scientific poll is the ___ ___–surveys a randomly selected fraction of voters after they have voted and tells pollsters how people voted before the official vote count.
Exit poll
Most interest groups are organized on the basis of c______ v_____, rather than on geographic location.
Common values
N_______ i_______ g______ unite people with common attitudes from every region of the country.
National interest groups
Interest groups help bridge the gap between the c_____ and the g_________.
Citizen, government
Citizens communicate their “____” or p____ g____ to government leaders.
Wants, policy goals
On the state and national levels, an interest group draws from the f_______ r_______ and e______ of its many members.
Federal resources, expertise
Interest group leaders strengthen the p______ p____ of the group by u______ its members. They keep members informed of activities through n_______, m______, and t______ c____.
Political power, unifying, newsletters, mailing, telephone calls
Reasons people belong to interest groups. : 1. Help promote an individual’s e______ s__-_____. 2. Centers on an individual’s b_____, v_____, or a______.
Economic self-interest, beliefs, values, attitude
Studies have shown that people on l____ s__________ l____ are less likely to join such groups.
Lower socioeconomic levels
M________ tends to come from u____ i_____ levels.
Membership, upper income
B_______ i______ g______ are among the oldest and largest in the United States.
Business interest groups
N_______ A_______ of M__________ works to lower individual and corporate taxes and limit government regulation of business.
National Association of Manufacturers
The U_____ S____ C______ of C______ tends to speak for smaller businesses.
United States Chamber of Commerce
The largest and most powerful labor organization today is the ___-___.
AFL-CIO
The ______ __ _____ _______ (?) directs the AFL-CIO’s political activities.
Committee on Political Education (COPE)
The largest agricultural interest group is the A_____ F___ B_____ F_______.
American Farm Bureau Federation
The oldest farm group is the P____ of H______, known as the _____.
Patrons of Husbandry, Grange
The A_______ B__ A________ and the A______ M_____ A________ are two examples of interest groups that include members of specific professions.
American Bar Association, American Medical Association
E___________ i______ g_____ goals range from conserving resources to protecting wildlife to helping farmers and ranchers manage their land.
Environmental interest groups
F____ i_____ g_____ may seek military aid, economic aid, or favorable trade agreements.
Foreign interest groups
All ______ _____ must register with the United States government.
Foreign agents
The process of direct contact is called ______. Representatives of interest groups who do this kind of work are called _______.
Lobbying, lobbyists
The L______ D______ A__ of _____ was intended to close loopholes that had enabled most lobbyists to avoid registering with Congress.
Lobbying Disclosure Act, 1995
Currently registered lobbyists must file s________ r_____ with the C___ of the H____ and S_____ of the S_____. The reports must disclose the issues or legislation being addressed, the government branches and agencies contacted, and estimate of the amount of money paid by the client.
Semiannual reports, Clerk of the House, Secretary of the Senate
Many lobbyists are f_____ g_________ o_____. Many other lobbyists are l_____ or p_____ r______ e_____.
Former government officials, lawyers, public relations expert
Lobbyists provide l______ with p_______, r_____, s______, and other kinds of information.
Legislators, pamphlets, reports, statistics
S______ and their staff cannot accept any gift or more of $___ from a l_____.
Senators, $50, lobbyist
The S____ and H____ also have $___ limits on gifts from any s_____ s_____.
Senate, house, $100, single source
L_______ and i_____ g_____ may actually help w___ b___.
Lobbyists, interest groups, write bills
Studies have shown that interest groups and their lobbyists d___ parts of or entire b____ for almost __% of all legislation.
Draft, bills, 50%
E______________ have run t_______ and m______ ___ to dramatize p_______ and the hazards it poses.
Environmentalists, television, magazine ads, pollution
________ _______ allow Americans to be represented according to their e______, s____, or o_______ interests.
Interest groups, economic, social, occupational
The greatest concern about the power of interest groups has been their _________ ___________ to political campaigns.
Financial contributions
________ ____ ______ (?) are organizations specifically designed to collect money and provide financial support for political candidates.
Political action committees, PACs
Under the F_______ E______ C_______ A___ of ____ and Revenue Act of 1971 a PAC must register with the government ___ months before an election.
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, six
It must raise money from at least __ contributors and give to at least ___ candidates in a federal election.
50, five
PACs can give _______ directly to each candidate per election.
$5,000
The _______ _______ _______ (?) issues regulations and advisory opinions that control PAC activities. The ___ ruled that corporations can use their own money to administer their PACs and may also use payroll deductions to raise money from employees of a PAC. After this ruling the number of corporate PACs increase by more that _____.
Federal Election Commission (FEC), FEC, 1000%
