1. Chapter 9 Section 1
Mr. Gordon

2. What is Public Opinion? Foreign, Domestic or Local Policy.
Examples – How to handle North Korea, reducing health care costs and Heating/Cooling in Nansemond River High School

3. What is Public Opinion?
Public Policy – choices the government makes and actions it takes in response to a particular issue or problem

4. What is Public Opinion?
Public opinion helps shape public policy and is in turn shaped by it.

5. Forming Public Opinion
Political Socialization – process by which you acquire your own beliefs.
Family, School, Work and Personal Factors (Religion)

6. Media and Public Opinion
The media helps determine public policy by reporting and commenting on issues that political leaders and the public consider important
A free and responsible press is important to our democracy by helping voters make informed decisions.
Media can now be delivered instantly and many news sources have been forced into consolidation. This potentially gives fewer viewpoints

7. Measuring Public Opinion
Public Opinion is determined through scientific polling (is this still working)
Polls try to be as accurate as possible by having a sampling error, eliminating bias and applying objectivity.
Exit polls are used randomly after voters have voted to tell pollsters how people have voted before the results are out. CBS had a problem in the election calling Florida for Al Gore early, then having to switch to a too close to call.