1. Mass Media and Public Opinion
Chapter 8
Mass Media and Public Opinion

2. Opinions Private Opinion Public Opinion Own View Intensity Differs
Most or all of Americans
Attitudes held by a significant number of people
EX: protest demonstrations, film, billboard, voting

3. Different Publics Many Hold same view on issue Public Affairs Politics
Public issues
Public policies

4. Family and Education Family School 1st encounter with political world
Parent comments/stories
Watching television with family
School
Learn about historic figures
Teaches values
Ex: recite Pledge of Allegiance

5. Other Factors Single issue Mass media Peer groups Opinion leaders
Newspapers, magazines, radio, internet, TV
Peer groups
Friends, classmates, neighbors, co-workers
Opinion leaders
Hold public office, writers, broadcasters, doctors
Historic events
Great Depression, assassinations, war

6. Measuring Public Opinion
Elections
Interest Groups
Media
Personal Contacts

7. Elections Votes cast for different candidates Mandate
Not very accurate measure of public opinion
Voter choices

8. Interest Groups Private organizations
Share certain views and objectives
“Pressure Groups” and “Special Interest Groups”
Lobbyist
Letters, phone calls

9. Media T.V., newspapers, magazines, blogs
Not very accurate measure of public opinion

10. Personal Contacts Try to read the public’s mind Bags of mail
Phone calls s
Trips home
Encounter public in offices, meetings, social gatherings, baseball games

11. Polls-The Best Measure
Straw Votes
Ask same question
Given to large number of people
Fairly common
Very unreliable
Literary Digest

12. Polls Cont… Scientific Polling
National and regional polling organizations
Get public preference on various issues
Americans Just As Proud to be an American Citizen Now as After 9/11
Two-thirds say living in freedom and owning a home are parts of the American Dream

13. The Polling Process Defining the Universe Constructing a Sample
Prepare valid questions
Select and control how poll will be taken
Analyze and report findings

14. Universe Whole population-aims to measure
Opinions the polls wants to discover
EX: all voters in Ohio, Madison High School students

15. Constructing a Sample Not possible to poll everyone
Representative slice
Random sample
Randomly selected people
Need sufficient size
Majority polls 1,500 people
Sufficient size+Random=accurate results
Quota sample
Less reliable

16. Preparing Valid Questions
Question wording
Phrase questions carefully
No difficult terms
No emotionally charged words
Did you vote in the 2004 and 2006 election?

17. Interviewing and Analyzing
Tone of voice
Carefully worded
EX: door to door, Random digit dialing
Analyzing
Computers
Technology
Publish findings

18. Evaluating Polls Fairly reliable Difficulty measuring Scientific Polls
Intensity
Stability
Relevance
Scientific Polls
Most useful tool at measuring public opinion

19. Limits on the Impact of Public Opinion
Polls are not elections
Opinions vs. concrete information
Democracy

20. Role of Mass Media Means of communication Television Newspapers Radio
Magazines

21. Television Politics and television More televisions than plumbing
Replaced newspapers
CBS, ABC, NBC
FOX
CNN, Turner Broadcasting
PBS

22. Newspapers 1740 1st Amendment- Freedom of Press
10,000+ newspapers in U.S.
Local papers

23. Radio 1920 Music, news, sports, programs 20 hours each week
most are local
Devote few minutes to the news

24. Magazines 1741 12,000 published in U.S.
Golf Digest, Teen, American Rifleman, Consumer Reports

25. Media and Politics Public Agenda Electoral Politics
Public issues that are focused on
Media power
Electoral Politics
Candidates less dependent on party organizations
Appeal to the people
Stories
Less than a minute
Show people doing something

26. Limits on Media Influence
15% that vote are well informed
Selective
Few public affair programs in prime time
Interest