Chapter 7 Public Opinion

Forms of Public Opinion Public Opinion – the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs shared by some portion of the adult population –there is no one public opinion because there are many different “publics” Consensus opinions – when there is general agreement among the citizenry on an issue Divisive opinions – when public opinion is polarized between two quite different positions

Aspects of Polling Techniques simple random sample – each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample quota sample – a less accurate technique wherein polling organizations predetermine the characteristics of the needed sample, and then find respondents with those characteristics to fill the slots sampling error – the difference between a sample’s results and the result if the entire population had been interviewed

Political Socialization What is Political Socialization? –the process by which individuals acquire political beliefs and attitudes How are Americans socialized? Family –the most important force in socialization –links us to other forces of socialization –parents communicate preferences to children –children want to please parents and are receptive to their views –demonstrated the most in consistency in party identification

Political Socialization (cont.) Education –learn patriotism, structure of government and how to form positions on issues –more the education a person has, the more likely he or she will be interested in politics Peers –most likely to shape political opinions when peer groups are politically active Religious Influence –deeply religious (as measured by church attendance) more likely to vote Republican, regardless of denomination –religious groups are likely to transmit definite political preferences –Roman Catholics → liberal; Protestants → conservative; Jewish → liberal

How are Americans socialized? (cont.) Economic Status and Occupation –poorer people → more inclined to favor social- welfare programs, more isolationist –richer people → more tolerant of social change, conservative economically Influence of Political Events –events impact people’s political attitudes –when the effect of an event is long-lasting and impacts the preferences of those who came of age at that time, it is called a generational effect Examples include the terrorist attacks of September11th, Great Depression, World War II and the Vietnam War

How are Americans socialized? (cont.) Opinion Leaders’ Influence –leaders sometimes influence the opinions of others Media Influence –newspapers, t.v., radio and the Internet influence public opinion –through agenda setting –by shaping opinions Demographic Traits –African Americans → liberal –whites → comparatively conservative –younger adults → liberal –older adults → comparatively conservative The Gender Gap – the difference between the percentage of votes a candidates receives from women versus from men –women tend to vote more Democrat –men tend to vote more Republican

Pubic Opinion About Government