Public Opinion Wilson 7A

Objective Questions To What Ends? Who Governs? How does public opinion in America today vary by race, gender, and other differences? What is political ideology, and how does it affect political behavior and influence public policy? What role did the Framers of the Constitution think public opinion should play in American democracy? When, if ever, should public policies mirror majority opinion?

Political Cleavages Ideology Party Race Gender

World’s Smallest Political Quiz

Preamble Goals Big picture Six listed Perfect union Justice Domestic tranquility Common defense General welfare Liberty Represent people’s wants Make day-to-day choices Often not the same Public ignorance Common values

Public Opinion How people feel or think about particular things Systematically measured 1900 – corporations and marketers 1940 – political scientists Vague knowledge Limited information Good decisions

Political Polling Survey public opinion Asking good questions (what) Ask about the right things (how) A point in time (when) Random sampling (who) As a measure of the entire population Large enough to overcome errors Call screening Low response Exit polls on election day

Poll Results Opinions differ Saliency – how strong someone feels Stability – volatility of opinion Congruency – correspondence between government action and majority sentiment Socialization – background traits Elites – those with disproportionate power know more about politics and are more consistent

Political Socialization Children follow parents Younger voters more independent Stronger in some families More in the past Varies with class, race, gender, religion, age Differences in theological position More pronounced in social issues Men (R), Women (D) Job experience, education College tends to have a liberalizing effect

Free Response Using the information in the table, and your knowledge of US politics, perform the following two tasks. List 3 groups that were significant in President Clinton’s electoral coalition and explain why each was important. Describe the problems that President Clinton has in sustaining a winning coalition. What constituencies do the present two candidates have within the electorate.