Chapter 11 Political Socialization and Public Opinion  To Accompany Comprehensive, Alternate, and Texas Editions American Government: Roots and Reform, 10th edition Karen O’Connor and Larry J. Sabato  Pearson Education, 2009

Political Socialization The way people acquire their political values. Family members. School and peers. Media, especially television. Religion. Demographics: race, ethnicity, gender, age, and region. Outside events.

History of Public Opinion Polls Successes of Literary Digest from 1920-1932. Used straw polls to make predictions. Literary Digest was incorrect in 1936; error in sample. George Gallup made correct prediction. Gallup was a pioneer in scientific public opinion polls. Continues to be successful today.

Conducting Public Opinion Polls Determining content and phrasing questions. Selecting sample. Common methods are random or stratified sampling. Contacting respondents. Random digit dialing is most popular.

Types of Political Polls Push polls are used to influence opinion. Tracking polls are taken on a daily basis. Exit polls are taken after leaving a polling place.

Shortcomings of Polling Must consider margin of error. May make errors in selecting the sample. Polls limit respondents’ options. People may not have enough information to answer. Measures of intensity may be imprecise.

Influences on Public Opinion Political socialization. Personal benefits. Political knowledge, or lack thereof. Cues from leaders. Political ideology.

Effects of Public Opinion May influence the course of public policy. Some critics argue this weakens democracy. Creation of bandwagon and underdog effects.

AV- Racial and Ethnic Attitudes  Back

Figure 11.1- First-Year Student Ideology  Back

Figure 11.2- Religious Self-Identification  Back

Figure 11.3- Views on Hurricane Katrina  Back

Figure 11.4- The Gallup Poll  Back

Figure 11.5- Opinion on Gas Taxes  Back

Figure 11.6- Random Digit Dialing  Back

Figure 11.7- Daily Tracking Poll  Back

Figure 11.8- Public Opinion on Iraq  Back

Table 11.1- Gender Differences  Back

Table 11.2- Political Knowledge  Back