Public Opinion Chap.6 Flashcards
Demography
The science of population changes
Public opinion
The distribution of the populations beliefs about politics and policy issues
Census
A valuable tool for understanding demographic changes
Melting pot
The mixing of cultures,ideas, and people that has changed the American nation
Minority majority
The emergence of a non-Caucasian majority, as compared with a White, generally Anglo-Saxon majority
Reapportionment
The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every ten years on the basis of the results of the census
Political culture
An overall set of values widely shared within a society
Political socialization
According to Richard Dawson, “ the process through which an individual acquires his/her particular political orientations his/her knowledge, feelings, and evaluations regarding his/her political world
Sample
A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole
Random sampling
The principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for a sample
Sampling error
The level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. The more ppl interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results
Random digit dialing
A technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey
Exit poll
Public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and more precision
Political ideology
A coherent set of beliefs about politics , public policy, and public purpose. It helps give meaning to political events, personalities and policies
Gender gap
A term that refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support democratic candidates.
Political participation
All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue
Protest
A form of political participation designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics
Civil disobedience
Reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer consequences
