1. Chapter Eight: Mass Media & Public Opinion

2. Chapter Eight
Section One

3. Key Terms Public Affairs Public Opinion Mass Media Peer Group
Opinion Leader

4. Introduction
What is public opinion, and what factors help to shape it?
Public opinion consists of the attitudes held by a significant number of people about public affairs— matters of government and politics.
It is shaped by a wide variety of factors, such as family, school, race, occupation, gender, mass media, peer groups, opinion leaders, and historic events.

6. Different Publics
Public opinion in the United States is typically divided.
Any given public issue is likely to have separate groups with their own points of view.
In addition, people disagree about which public issues are important.
Few issues capture the attention of all Americans.
Most issues are of little interest to the majority.

7. Public Affairs
Public affairs include events and issues involving politics, public issues, and the making of public policies.
Examples include political parties, candidates, taxes, unemployment, national defense, foreign policy, and so forth.
Technically, public opinion includes only those views that relate to public affairs.

8. Political Socialization
What is it?
Family Influence
School Influence
Other Factors
Occupation
Race
Gender
Mass Media
Peer Groups
Historic Events

9. Mass Media
The mass media includes radio, television, magazines, and newspapers.
More than 98 percent of the 115 million U.S. households have a television, and most are turned on for eight or more hours a day.

10. Opinion Leader
Some people listen to and draw ideas from opinion leaders.
Many opinion leaders hold public office, while others are journalists or prominent members of society.
What is the cartoonist implying about the media?

11. Historic Events Great Depression Economy Increased role of government
60s and 70s
Civil Rights
Watergate
Vietnam War

12. Chapter Eight
Section Two

13. Key Terms Mandate Interest Group Public Opinion Poll Straw Vote
Universe
Sample
Random Sample
Quota Sample

14. Measuring Public Opinion
Election results reflect public opinion to some degree, but often express voters’ views only on a few broad issues.
The people also express their opinions in s, letters, phone calls, or public meetings.
The media both mirrors and helps shape public opinion.
Interest groups share the views of their members in hopes of influencing policy.

15. Public Opinion Poll
Public opinion is best measured by polls that ask people questions, but scientific polling techniques are needed to get accurate results.
What do you think the cartoonist is saying about pollsters here?

16. Straw Polls
Straw polls try to measure public opinion by asking many people the same questions, often by phone, , or mail.
This method is very unreliable, as there is no guarantee that the people who respond represent an accurate cross- section of the population.
For example, a straw poll during the Great Depression picked the wrong presidential winner because it overlooked the large number of poor people who voted.

17. Scientific Polls
Scientific polls are more sophisticated and accurate than straw polls.
There are hundreds of polling organizations in the U.S. today. Gallup and Pew Research Center are two of the best known.
Scientific polls have five basic steps:
Define the universe to be surveyed
Construct a sample
Prepare valid questions
Select and control how the poll is taken
Analyze and report the results

18. Universe and Sample
The universe is the group whose opinions the poll tries to discover.
Sample
Random Sample
Accuracy?
Margin of Error
Quota Sample

19. Interviewing and Analyzing
Well-Drawn Questions
The Mac operating system rarely gets infected by viruses and therefore Department of Education should only purchase Mac computers (Yes/No).
Pollsters use computers to analyze and publish polling data and findings.

20. Examples Gallup Poll: Daily Obama Job Approval
Gallup Poll: Presidential Job Approval Outlook
Pew Research: Public Perceptions of Privacy and Security Post- Snowden Era

21. Evaluating Polls
When evaluating the intent of a poll, ask yourself the following questions:
Who is responsible for the poll? Polls sponsored by political campaigns may try to mislead voters.
Why is the poll being conducted? Polls meant to boost a candidate’s approval ratings are not reliable.

22. Evaluating Polls
When evaluating a poll’s methods, ask yourself the following questions:
What is the poll’s universe? Ask if the sample is truly representative.
How was the sample chosen? Samples should be selected randomly.
How were questions written and asked? Leading questions can alter results.
When was the data collected? Opinions change quickly during elections.

23. Evaluating Polls What is difficult for polls to measure?
Intensity: how strongly someone holds an opinion.
Stability: how likely an opinion is to change.
Relevance: how important an opinion is to the person who holds it.
What are the dangers of polls?

24. Chapter Eight: Section Three
The Mass Media

25. Role of Mass Media Five major types: Television Internet Radio
Newspapers
Magazines
Independent of Government
Importance?

26. Role of Mass Media

27. Television Television news began to boom in the 1950s.
TV replaced newspapers as the main source of political information in the 1960s and is the main source of news for 80% of Americans today.

28. Newspapers
“…were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” (Thomas Jefferson)
Main source of news in colonies and early part of our nation
Influence?
Decline

29. Radio
In the 1920s and 1930s, radio became a major source of political news
FDR Fireside Chats
Talk Show Hosts
Rush Limbaugh
Rachel Maddow
Is radio still relevant today?

30. The Internet Fast becoming major source of political news
Nearly 2/3 of Americans go online on regular basis
Caters to all political interests

31. Social Media
Fundamental to social media is the “displacement of traditional hierarchies by networks” (Seib)
Networks: interconnected nodes
“Rewiring of the central nervous system of civil society, with unprecedented empowerment of individuals who take advantage of communication tools” (Castells)
Fundamental shift in broadcasting of message

32. 2012 Election & Social Media

33. Media & Public Opinion Shapes public agenda & social problems
People rely on media for most of information they receive on public issues
Nontraditional sources?
Media as mirror/molder of what policy issues public thinks
Taking a look at news sites…

34. Cartoon

35. Limits on Media Influence
Most radio and TV programs do not cover news in-depth
Few people follow media coverage of political events closely
People tend to “self- select” political news