Chapter 11 Section 1 Mr. Collins and Mrs. Kozlik CE 7c Public Opinion Chapter 11 Section 1 Mr. Collins and Mrs. Kozlik CE 7c

What is Public Opinion? Refers to the attitudes or opinions of a large group of people about a particular issue or person The term is misleading because everyone does not agree on everything

Factors Affecting Public Opinion Age, gender, income, hobbies, race, religion, and occupation Public Officials – try to persuade people to support their positions in issues Media – TV, newspapers, magazines

Media’s Influence on Public Opinion Focuses public attention on selected issues Offers a forum in which opposing viewpoints are communicated Holds government officials accountable to the public Helps government officials to communicate with the public

Measuring Public Opinion Ways to measure public opinion Look at election results – tells whether people are satisfied with what has happened before and what they consider important Public Opinion Polls – question individuals to determine how most Americans feel about a particular issue

The Effect of Polls Political Parties and news organizations frequently take political polls and then release the results to the public Some feel that these polls not only measure public opinion, but also affect it People often fail to vote since polls predict the winner weeks before the election

Review 1 Section 1: Public Opinion Public opinion helps shape the decisions of government officials.  A person’s background, the mass media, public officials, and interest groups all play a role in shaping public opinion. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Review 1

M&C 1

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answer. DFT1

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answer. Is the cartoonist expressing a favorable or unfavorable opinion of lobbyists? How do you know? Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answer. Time1

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answers. Checking for Understanding Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on the left. __ 1. a survey in which individuals are asked to answer questions about a particular issue or person __ 2. a mechanism of mass communication, including television, radio, newspapers, magazines, recordings, movies, and books __ 3. a group of people who share a point of view about an issue and unite to promote their beliefs D A. public opinion B. mass media C. interest group D. public opinion poll E. pollster B C Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answers. Section 1-17

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answers. Checking for Understanding (cont.) Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on the left. __ 4. the ideas and attitudes that most people hold about elected officials, candidates, government, and political issues __ 5. a specialist whose job is to conduct polls regularly A A. public opinion B. mass media C. interest group D. public opinion poll E. pollster E Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answers. Section 1-18