Unit 1 Vocab Flashcards
Public Opinion
What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time
Public Opinion Polls
Interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feeling and beliefs of the population
George Gallop
Considered founder of modern day polling
“speed up the process of democracy”
Leaders must constantly take public opinion into account
Straw Poll
Unscientific survey used to guage public opinion on a variety of issues and policies
Sample
A subset of the whole population selected to be questioned for the purposes of prediction or gauging opinion
Push Polls
aims to “push” voters away from certain candidates. May contain exaggerated or untruthful information
Population
The entire group of people that a researcher wants to measure
Random Sampling
A method of pull selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected
Tracking Poll
Contineous surveys that enable a campeign or news organization to chart a condidates daily or weekly rise or fall in support
Exit Polls
Polls conducted as voters leave polling places on election day
Margin of Error
A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll within statistical parameters
Sampling Error
Errors resulting from the size or quality of a survey sample
Political Ideology
Set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government
Conservative
One who favors limited government interavention, especially in economic
Social Conservative
One who believes taht the government should support and further tradition moral teachings
Liberal
One who favors greater government intervention, especially in economics
Moderate
A person who takes a relatively centrist view on most political issues
Gender Gap
Consistent differences between voting patterns for men and women
Libertarian
One who believes in limited government control in personal and economic liberties
Political Socialization
The process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values
Party Identification
A citizens attachment to a political party based on issues, ideology, past experience, or upbringing, which serves to be a reliable indicator of likely voting choices.
Example of Public Opinion
Climate change: some express concern about environmental impact, supporting policies for sustainability, while others may be skeptical or deny human influence
Importance of Public Opinion Polls
Politicians can use the information from the polls to represent the interests of the public and make informed decisions
Importance of George Gallop
Gallop’s polling techniques influenced journalisms, making public opinion polls an integral part of news reporting.
