Public Opinion and Political Socialization Chapter 7

Public Opinion –The collective political beliefs and attitudes of the public, or groups within the public, on matters of relevance to the government.

Public Opinion Salience –An issue’s importance to a person or to the public in general. Stability –The speed with which a change will occur, and the likelihood that the new opinion will endure.

Public Opinion Direction –In public opinion, the tendency for or against some phenomenon. Intensity –The strength of the direction of public opinion.

Public Opinion Consensus - General agreement among the citizenry on an issue Divided Opinion - Public opinion that is polarized between two quite different positions

Public Opinion Sample –A subset of the whole population selected to be questioned for the purpose of prediction or gauging opinions Population –An entire body of people, from which a sample is selected and assumed to be representative.

Public Opinion Random Sampling –A method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected Margin of Error. –A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll.

Public Opinion Sampling Techniques –Representative Sampling The Principle of Randomness –Every person should have a chance of being sampled A purely random sample will be representative within the stated margin of error. The larger the sample of the population, the smaller the margin of error.

Problems with Opinion Polls Issues respondents haven’t considered –People respond anyways to not look unintelligent Controversial issues –Give a socially correct response rather than the truth Opinions on things like race and gender –People will hide their racial and gender bias until entering the voting booth Question wording –How a question is worded can greatly influence the response.

Political Socialization –The learning process in which individuals absorb information and selectively add it to their knowledge and understanding of politics and government.

Political Socialization Sources –The Family and the Social Environment –Education as a Source of Political Socialization –Peers and Peer Group Influence –Opinion Leaders’ Influence –Media Presentation of Political Issues

Political Socialization Political events can produce a long- lasting impact on opinion formation. Examples: Great Depression, McCarthyism, Vietnam, Watergate, Iran Contra, Lewinski-gate, Iraq War II

Political Socialization Generational Effect –Situation in which younger citizens are influenced by events in such a fashion that their attitudes and beliefs are forever rendered distinct from those of older generations. (Vietnam Era)

Political Socialization Period Effect –An event that influences the attitudes and beliefs of people of all ages who experience it. (Great Depression, September 11 th )

Political Ideology Ideology –Consistent set of ideas about a given set of issues.

Political Ideology Economic Liberals - Those who believe government should do more to assist people who have difficulty meeting their economic needs on their own. Economic Conservatives - Those who believe government tries to do too many things that should be left to firms and economic markets.

Political Ideology Social Conservatives - Those who believe government power should be used to uphold traditional values. Social Liberals - Those who believe it is not government’s role to buttress traditional values at the expense of unconventional or new values.

Political Ideology Libertarians -Those who believe government tries to do too many things that should be left to firms and markets, and who oppose government as an instrument for upholding traditional values. -Combination of economic conservative and social liberal.

Political Ideology Populists -Those who believe government should do more to assist people who have difficulty meeting their economic needs and who look to government to uphold traditional values. -Combination of economic liberal and social conservative.