1. PowerPoint #7 “Interest Groups and Public Opinion”
Government
Unit 2

2. Contains Two Crash Course Videos
Episode #42 – Interest Groups
Episode #43 – Interest Groups Formation

3. Essential Questions:
How can Special Interest Groups influence policy in the United States?
How does Public Opinion influence who is elected in the United States?

4. Special Interest Groups

5. Interest Groups
Definition – group of people with common goals who organize to influence government.
Interest groups support candidates who favor their ideas
They do not nominate candidates
Usually focus on one or a few issues

6. Purpose and Political Power
Purpose – to bridge the gap between government and the people
Communicate wants, policy goals, etc.
Political Power
Strength in numbers
Financial resources or expertise of members

7. Complete the Worksheet that goes with this video
Episode #42 – Interest Groups

8. Types of Interest Groups: 1. Business-Related
NAM (National Association of Manufacturers)
Lower individual & corporate taxes
Limit government regulation of business
United States Chamber of Commerce
Works for smaller businesses
Business Roundtable
Works for the largest & most powerful corporations

9. Types of Interest Groups 2. Labor Related
AFL-CIO -American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations
UAW - United Auto Workers
UMW - United Mine Workers
COPE - Committee on Political Education
Directs major goals such as fund-raising, voter registration drives, and support for political candidates.

10. Types of Interest Groups: 3. Agricultural
American Farm Bureau Federation
Helps the larger & more successful farmers
NFU (National Farmers’ Union)
Smaller farmers
Supports laws protecting migrant farm workers
Higher price supports for crops & livestock

11. Types of Interest Groups: 4. Professional Associations
ABA (American Bar Association)
To serve equally our members, our profession; serve the public by defending liberty and delivering justice as the national representative of the legal profession
AMA (American Medical Association)
to advance the interests of physicians and their patients, promote the art and science of medicine for the betterment of the public health
CTA (California Teachers’ Association)
protect and promote the well-being of its members; improve the conditions of teaching and learning

12. Types of Interest Groups: 5. Environmental
Sierra Club
Explore, enjoy, and protect the planet
National Wildlife Federation
Mission is to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future

13. Affecting Public Policy
Lobbyists
Representatives of Interest Groups that make direct contact with Congressional members
Provide Information
Useful information in order to persuade the lawmaker
Restriction on gifts…no more than $100
Misrepresentation of facts may result in a loss of access to Congressional members
Draft Bills
50% of legislation comes from lobbyist assistance in writing public policy

14. Getting Support Media Dramatic & biased advertising Letter Writing
Thousands of letters to demonstrate “universal” support for an issue
Limitations
Different groups compete for power and influence.
No single group can control all
Smaller groups (narrower aims) tend to be the most powerful.

15. PACS (Political Action Committees)
Organizations that are designed to collect money in support of a political candidate.
Result of laws preventing large donations from individual corporations or labor unions.
FECA (Federal Election Campaign Act (1971)
PAC must register with the government at least 6 months before an election.
Strict accounting rules

16. Complete the Worksheet that goes with this video
Episode #43 – Interest Groups Formation

17. Public Opinion

18. How Public Opinion is Individually Influenced
Many are the same as political socialization factors – family, age, race, income, occupation, geography, peer groups, etc.
Schools
learning independent of parents, exposure to different viewpoints, develops critical thinking, questioning beliefs, etc.
Historic Events
major impact on the views of people – reacting to past successes and failures
Opinion Leaders
someone who has an unusually strong influence on the views of others

19. Mass Media
In the past: The Media did not tell public what to think, but rather what to think about.
Currently: Most of the media slants one way or the other. It is very opinionated and hard to find a neutral media source

20. Mass Media
Newspapers – earliest form of mass media 1st in Boston (1704)
45% of adults read a newspaper daily
Why do you think newspaper subscriptions are declining?
Magazines – distributed nationally in the 1900’s expanding exposure
Time, Newsweek, and US News & World Report = 10 million copies a week.

21. Radio
Starting in the 1920’s, radio brought news and entertainment to the public
Radio has survived as a news source due to convenience in cars, at work, etc.
Talk Radio is popular – known as having very strong, biased views

22. Television TV – became popular in the 1940’s
today in 98% of households principal source of news for 80% of the population
Is TV news bias or unbiased?

23. Measuring Public Opinion
Polls – attempting to collect information on public opinions by asking questions.
Most effective indicators of public opinion besides elections
Factors that can skew results
Wording of questions (is it fair, neutral?)
Wording will strongly affect the answers to the questions
Method of conducting the poll
how was it administered? Internet? Phone? etc.

24. Read and analyze the questions used in two polls about the economy
Read and analyze the questions used in two polls about the economy. How did the way the questions were framed skew the results? Explain

25. Essential Questions:
How can Special Interest Groups influence policy in the United States?
How does Public Opinion influence who is elected in the United States?