Political Opinions LG: I will identify the forces that create and shape individuals’ political attitudes.

I. Political Socialization People develop political attitudes through participating in groups Family attitudes Schools- use of traditions & content Peers- use of social media Religious & civic organization Media

II. Voter Stability Core values remain stable over time Extra ordinary events can catalyst change

7.1 FIGURE 7.1: Comparison of opinion of President George W. Bush and Barack Obama with attitude on abortion over time Why is attitude on abortion so consistent in comparison to the fluctuation in opinions of Presidents Bush and Obama over time?

III. Voter Awareness 25% of the population is attentive to politics most of the time 40% of the population are part-time citizens only participating partially

IV. Public Opinion Distribution of individual preferences for evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution w/in a specific population Measured through polling

7.2 Polls In addition to polls conducted by Gallup, Pew, and other such organizations, newspapers and TV networks conduct polls on election preferences and numerous other subjects.

7.2 TABLE 7.1 The way you ask the question matters The way you ask a polling question can make a lot of difference in the way people answer it. In 2012, President Barack Obama stated that he believed same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. Following the controversial statement, several sources collected information on public opinion of gay marriage and President Obama’s statement. However, different sources asked slightly different questions, which led to different interpretations of public opinion of gay marriage. Consider the following questions about gay marriage, each of which was asked between March and May, 2012. Read each question and consider how you would have responded if asked by an interviewer.

V. Scientific Polling Random sampling: everyone has an equal chance of being selected Margin of error usually + or – 3% Most accurate polling method