Influences on Elections Public Opinion, Mass Media, and Special Interest Groups

What is public opinion? Public opinion: attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of government and politics Formation of Public Opinion: Family Education Mass Media Peer Groups Opinion Leaders Historic Events

How Do We Measure Public Opinion? There are a variety of means to “measure” public opinion but not all are accurate Examples: Personal Contacts – candidates talk to you Polls – surveys (usually most accurate) Elections – vote for the candidate of choice! The Media – mirrors and molders Special Interest Groups – what topics are important?

Mass media Media has the power to get the public to focus on a certain issue Influences and reflects public opinion It is the “mirrors and molders” of people’s views Types of Media Print (newspapers) Radio Television Internet Social Media

Bias Propaganda Allowing values to alter opinion Examples: FOX News (Conservative) MSNBC (Liberal) Propaganda Definition: Technique of persuasion aimed at influencing individual or group behaviors Disregards information that does not support its conclusion Goal: Create a particular belief which may be true or false

Special Interest Groups Private organizations Members share views and work to shape public policy Economic Noneconomic Business Labor Professional Association Public Interest Single Issue Ideological Government

Functions of Interest Groups Raise awareness of issues that concern the people at large Represent people who share attitudes rather than those who share geography Provide specialized information to government agencies and legislators Political participation Keep tabs on various public agencies and officials

Influencing Parties and Elections Political Action Committees (PACs) Raise and distribute money to candidates who further THEIR goals

Criticisms of interest groups Influence far out of proportion to their size or importance Difficult to tell who or how many people served by a group Do not always represent the views of the people they claim to speak for Groups HAVE used tactics such as bribery, threats, and so on

Lobbying Activity by which a group pressures legislators and influences the legislative process Seen in the: legislature, government agencies, executive branch, and even the courts Nearly all important organized interest groups maintain lobbyists in Washington, D.C.

Lobbyists at Work Lobbyists (the people who lobby) use several techniques: Send articles, reports, & other information to officeholders Testify before legislative committees Bring “grass-roots” pressures to bear through email, letters, or phone calls from constituents Rate candidates and publicize the ratings Make campaign contributions