Public Opinion Chapter 10

Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information Polls are helpful in understanding what people want or think. Polls are used to measure public opinion on political candidates and political issues. People can express their political views by participating in polls.

Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information Public opinion polling is used frequently in our society. Scientific polls are the most accurate way to measure public opinion. The results of public opinion polls can be misleading. Example: ABC News and Washington Post poll following September 11, 2001.

Measuring Public Opinion and Political Opinion Public opinion polls were originally developed by George Gallup in the 1930’s. Early polling was conducted by going door-to-door. Today, polling is conducted over the phone, on the internet, through the mail, and door-to-door. Most polling is conducted over the phone using the random digit dialing technique.

Measuring Public Opinion and Political Participation What is random digit dialing? What are advantages to using random digit dialing? What are disadvantages to using the technique?

How are polls conducted? Sample: obtain a portion of the entire population to be representative of the whole population Random Sampling: used by survey researchers and operates on the principle that everyone has an equal probability of being selected for the sample; random digit dialing often used for this Commercial polling agencies such as Gallup normally use national samples of approximately 1,000 to 3,000 people.

How are polls conducted? Sampling Error: level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll Presidential Job Approval Poll: 50% of Americans approve of the job the President is doing with a sampling error of +/- 3%. This means that as few as 47% of Americans approve or as many as 53%.

Polling Questions Questions used in a public opinion poll must use language and vocabulary appropriate for the population under study. Questions must neutrally worded and not suggest a response.

The Role of Polls in American Democracy The results of public opinion polls help politicians detect public preferences and guide them on what policies to support. Polls can cause a bandwagon effect. Exit polls are used by the media to predict election day winners.

What Polls Reveal About American Political Information Americans do not have a large amount of knowledge about politics. Americans are not interested in politics. Americans may know their basic beliefs, but are not sure how those beliefs affect policy. Poll results have indicated a consistent increase in the decline of trust in the government.