1. Public Opinion and Political Socialization: Shaping the People’s Voice
Chapter 6

2. Political Socialization: The Origins of Americans’ Opinions
Public opinion: opinions of citizens that are openly stated
Political socialization: the process by which people acquire their political opinions, beliefs, and values
Childhood learning is paramount
Process is cumulative: political affiliations usually grow firmer with age

3. Political Socialization: The Origins of Americans’ Opinions
Primary political socialization agents:
Family
Family is the strongest of all agents of socialization
Schools
More critical examination of American history in higher grades and in college
Church
Scholars have not studied the effects of religion as well as schools or family, but it is a powerful influence

4. Political Socialization: The Origins of Americans’ Opinions
Secondary political socialization agents:
Peers
Media
Leaders
Events

5. 182 National pride index

6. Frames of Reference: How Americans Think Politically
Frames of reference: reference points by which individuals evaluate issues and developments
Party identification
Party identification: emotional loyalty to a political party; not formal membership
Major shifts in loyalty rare
Usually in response to a major event
Can lead to selective perception

7. 184 fig 6-1

8. 186 fig 6-2

9. 187 Party loyalties in the states

10. Frames of Reference: How Americans Think Politically
Political ideology:
A coherent set of political beliefs
Few Americans have a true political ideology
Ideological leanings:
Economic liberals/conservatives
Social liberals/conservatives
Populists
Libertarians

11. Frames of Reference: How Americans Think Politically
Group orientations
Religion
Economic class
Region
Race and ethnicity
Gender
Generations and age
Crosscutting groups

12. The Measurement of Public Opinion
Traditional method: election results
Public opinion polls: primary method
Measure public opinion using randomly chosen population sample(s) and carefully constructed interviews
Samples—estimation of population’s views
Accuracy of a poll—expressed by sampling error

13. The Measurement of Public Opinion
Problems with polls
Increasing refusal to participate in telephone polls
Polled individuals unfamiliar with issues
Dishonesty by respondents
Poorly worded questions and poor question order
Non-opinions

14. The Influence of Public Opinion on Policy
Disagreement over how much public opinion affects policy, and how much it should affect policy
Limits on public influence
Inconsistencies in citizens’ policy preferences
Citizens’ lack of understanding of issues
Mastery of issues not necessary for opinion to be of value, but some issues require understanding

15. The Influence of Public Opinion on Policy
Public opinion and the boundaries of action
Some policy actions outside boundaries of public acceptability
The greater the level of public involvement, the more likely officials will respond to public sentiment
Even on popular issues, leaders have some discretion
Leaders can influence public opinion through concerted effort