Public Opinion Vocab Flashcards
Exit Polls
Polls conducted as voters leave selected by polling places on Election Day
Margin of Error
A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll
Political Socialization
The process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs
and values
Population
The entire group of people whose attitudes a researcher wishes to
measure
Public Opinion Polls
Interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate
the feelings and beliefs of the entire population
Public Opinion
What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any
point in time
Push Polls
Polls taken for the purpose of providing information on an opponent
that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate
Random Sampling
A method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same
chance of being selected
Sample
A subset of the whole population selected to be questioned for the
purposes of prediction or gauging opinion
Stratified Sample
A variation of random sampling; the population is divided into
subgroups and weighted based on demographic characteristics of the
national population
Straw Poll
Unscientific survey used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues
and policies
Tracking Polls
Continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to
chart a candidate’s daily rise or fall in support
