1 PUBLIC OPINION IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

2 What Is Public Opinion? Judging Public Opinion Public and private opinions Private Opinions: personal feelings you might express to your family, neighbors, etc.

3 Judging Public Opinion Public and private opinions Public Opinion: the combination of many individuals’ expressed feelings about gov’t and political issues.

4 Judging Public Opinion What factors actually determine how much influence public opinion will have on government actions and policies?

5 Are people personally concerned? Judging Public Opinion

6 How many people agree on the issue?

7 Judging Public Opinion How intensely do people care? ?

8 Judging Public Opinion How stable are people’s opinions?

9 Judging Public Opinion How widespread is an opinion?

10 Ideology and Public Opinion Ideology: an organized pattern of looking at the political world… … a systematic set of ideas that is used to justify a particular point of view.

11 Ideology and Public Opinion Radicals: favor rapid, funda- mental change in the existing social, economic, or political order, and may be willing to resort to extreme methods -- even violence and revolution -- to accomplish their goals. On the ideological far left

12 RADICAL GROUPS Students for a Democratic Society and the Weather Underground (Weathermen)

13 Black Panther Party Founders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale

14 On the ideological left: Liberals: believe the gov’t should actively promote social reform to increase individuals’ well-being… tend to see change as good… but peaceful change within the existing system. Ideology and Public Opinion

15 Ideology and Public Opinion In the ideological center: Moderates: people whose attitudes & opinions on issues are between right and left – between conservative and liberal… are usually tolerant of others’ opinions… & unlikely to hold extreme views.

16 Ideology and Public Opinion On the ideological right: Conservatives: people who favor the status quo -- keeping things as they are… gov’t should stay out of people’s lives and business.

17 Reactionaries: people who advocate a return to a previous state of affairs, often a social order or gov’t that existed earlier in history… and may go to extremes to reach their goals. Ideology and Public Opinion On the ideological far right: Reactionaries: people who

18 Left and Right Originated in French National Assembly, Those who favored policies of the past were seated to right of speaker… and those who favored swift change were seated to his left. Ideology and Public Opinion

19 American Political Culture American Political Culture Many Factors Shape Political Opinions

American Political Culture Political culture: those elements related to a nation’s gov’t and politics. …it affects our -- support for democratic process attitudes toward officials sense of civic responsibility feelings toward political symbols

21 American Political Culture Political symbols...objects or expressions that represent abstract ideas, like “freedom,” “democracy,” even “America” --

22 American Political Culture Political symbols serve 3 main functions… they  help people recognize and respond directly to political ideas and objects

23 American Political Culture Political symbols  help people identify with their own group or nation.

24 American Political Culture Political symbols  evoke emotions… and so help to shape attitudes -- and feelings of pride, hope, and respect.

25 Four Types of Political Symbols American Political Culture Personal Symbols Verbal Symbols I pledge allegiance Visual Symbols Authority Symbols

Political Socialization Political socialization: the process by which citizens acquire their sense of political identity. 26 Political Socialization

27 Political Socialization Four main agents of political socialization: Family School Peers Media