1. Chapter 5 PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION

2. Learning Outcomes 5.1 Identify the various roles played by public opinion in majoritarian and pluralist democracy. 5.2 Analyze the effect of skewed, bimodal, and normal distributions of opinion on public policy. 5.3 Explain the influence of the agents of early socialization – family, school, community, and peers – on political learning. Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 2

3. Learning Outcomes 5.4 Compare and contrast the effects of education, income, region, race, ethnicity, religion, and gender on public opinion. 5.5 Define the concept of ideology, describe the liberal-conservative continuum, and assess the influence of ideology on public opinion. 5.6 Assess the impact of knowledge, self- interest, and leadership on political opinions. Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 3

4. Public Opinion  Public Opinion on Death Penalty Reveals:  Opinions about a given government policy can change over time, often dramatically  Public opinion places boundaries on allowable types of public policies  If asked by pollsters, citizens are willing to register opinions on matters outside their experience  Governments tend to respond to public opinion  Government sometimes does not do what the people want Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 4

5. A Fatal Choice Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 5

6. Public Opinion and the Models of Democracy  Opinion Polling Started in the 1930s  Became powerful in 1950s with computers  Majoritarian  Majority of people hold clear, consistent opinions on government policy  Pluralist  Public is uninformed and ambivalent Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 6

7. Stop the Presses! Oops, Too Late… Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 7

8. The Distribution of Public Opinion  Shape of the Distribution  To understand and act on public opinion, government must understand how it’s distributed  Three patterns of distribution:  Skewed  Bimodal  Normal Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 8

9. The Distribution of Public Opinion  Shape of the Distribution  Description of public opinion results depends on most frequent response  Skewed: most respondents with one opinion  Bimodal: two answers chosen with equal frequency  Normal: bell-shaped, requiring a moderate approach to policymaking Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 9

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11. The Distribution of Public Opinion  Stability of the Distribution  Stable distributions: little change over time  Same question produces different responses over time: public opinion has shifted  Different questions on same issue produce similar results: underlying attitudes stable Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 11

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13. Political Socialization  Political Socialization  Process by which people acquire their political values  Agents of Early Socialization  Primary principle  Structuring principle Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 13

14. Political Socialization  Agents of Early Socialization  Family  Earliest political memories linked to family  Politically involved parents create politically involved children  Party identification learned from parents Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 14

15. Political Socialization  Agents of Early Socialization  School  Elementary: social order; national slogans and symbols, norms of behavior, decision making  High School: build good citizens; rights, responsibilities; greater awareness of political process  College: question authority and dominant political values Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 15

16. Political Socialization  Agents of Early Socialization  Community and peers  Homogenous communities: strong influence  Pressure to conform  Peer groups defend against community pressure  Continuing Socialization  Adulthood: peer groups and mass media assume greater importance Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 16

17. Word of God? Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 17

18. Social Groups and Political Values  Each Person’s Political Socialization: Unique  People with similar backgrounds tend to develop similar political opinions  Ties Between Background and Values  Ex: 2008 American National Election Study  Abortion  Government guaranteeing employment Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 18

19. Social Groups and Political Values  Education  Increases awareness and understanding of political issues  College-educated tend to choose personal freedom over social order and equality  Abortion: college-educated tend to view it as matter of women’s choice  Government guarantee of employment: college- educated tend to favor freedom over equality Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 19

20. Social Groups and Political Values  Income  Most Americans consider themselves “middle class”  Wealth linked to opinions favoring limited government role in promoting equality  Groups with higher income and higher education tend to favor freedom Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 20

21. Social Groups and Political Values  Region  Historically, regional differences in political opinion were important  Differences in wealth fed cultural differences between regions Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 21

22. Social Groups and Political Values  Ethnicity and Race  Political values differ with race and ethnic background  Minority groups display somewhat similar political attitudes on equality  Low socioeconomic status  Targets of prejudice and discrimination Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 22

23. Social Groups and Political Values  Religion  Religious makeup of U.S. fairly stable since 1940s  56% Protestant  22% Catholic  13% no religion  9% other (including fewer than 2% Jewish) Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 23

24. Social Groups and Political Values  Religion  Religious groupings  Little effect on attitudes on economic equality  More influence on attitudes of social order Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 24

25. Clashing Opinions on Same-Sex Marriage Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 25

26. Social Groups and Political Values  Gender  Men and women differ on social and political issues  Gender gap: women are more likely to be and vote Democrat  Women: m ore likely to favor government actions to support equality  Men: m ore supportive of death penalty and going to war Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 26

27. From Values to Ideology  Degree of Ideological Thinking in Public Opinion  Some believe terms liberal and conservative no longer relevant to American politics  Ideological labels necessary for classification  Most people don’t think of themselves in ideological terms Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 27

28. From Values to Ideology  Quality of Ideological Thinking in Public Opinion  Two themes when describing ideology  Liberals = change; conservatives = tradition  Attitude toward equality Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 28

29. From Values to Ideology  Ideological Types in The U.S.  Liberals: favor freedom over order and equality over freedom  Conservatives: favor freedom over equality and order over freedom  Libertarians: favor freedom over equality and order  Communitarians: favor equality over freedom and order Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 29

30. From Values to Ideology  Ideological Types in The U.S.  People’s preferences for government action depend on what the action targets  Poll respondents don’t always categorize themselves the same way their responses do  Ideological typology reflects important differences between diverse social groups Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 30

31. From Values to Ideology  Ideological Types in The U.S.  Americans who know politics have difficulty locating themselves on liberal-conservative continuum  Problem: liberal on some issues and conservative on others, so they chose middle category (moderate)  People who classify themselves as liberal or conservative do fit categories Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 31

32. Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 32

33. Forming Political Opinions  Political Knowledge  About 50 percent of public knows:  Basic institutions and procedures of government  Party positions on major issues  Public less knowledgeable on:  Critical public policy matters  Government expenditures Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 33

34. Forming Political Opinions  Costs, Benefits, and Cues  Self-interest principle: people choose what benefits them personally  In some cases, individuals are unable to determine personal costs or benefits  Opinion also emerges from cues and mental shortcuts Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 34

35. Forming Political Opinions  Political Leadership  Public opinion on specific issues molded by political leaders  Politicians make arguments based on shared ideology and self-interest  Issue framing or “spin”  Politicians’ ability to influence public opinion enhanced by growth of broadcast media Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning 35