American Government and Politics (POLS 122) Professor Jonathan Day

Outline 1. Attendance 2. First Midterm Exam: Performance Analysis 3. Public Opinion: Where do our opinions come from? 4. Next Class

Average Grade 70.11%

Performance Statistics I used a statistical model and found that for every chapter you read, it increased your score by 4.2%. The statistical model also showed that for every time you attended class it increased your score by 4.6% If everyone would have showed up to every class and read every chapter, the average test score would have been: 86.17%

American Government and Politics (POLS 122) Professor Jonathan Day

Where Do Opinions Come From? Socialization: Families and Communities - Ideas children get from early in life often shape their views for the rest of their lives Events – if the country moves in that direction, it could happen because of war or a movement (e.g. civil rights movement) Group identity – people who live in the same region or same era experience the same things and then may believe in the same things. Politicians and other political actors – the president may persuade people to believe in certain issues.

How Do Elites Measure Opinion? 1) Polls 2) Focus groups

Why do our opinions matter? Elected officials want to do what is popular in order to get re-elected. Representatives are elected every two years and Senators are elected every six years. Representatives need to be more concerned about doing what is popular than Senators because they are re-elected more frequently.

Next Class Please read chapter 6 in Fault Lines, Public Opinion. Topic Question on Western Online: “Do people know enough about politics to make informed decisions when they vote? Why or why not?”