Transcript Public Opinion and the Mass Media

Public Opinion and
the Mass Media
Lesson 1:
What is Public
Opinion?
Public Opinion:
The complex collection of
opinions of many different
people; or the sum of all
their views.
What factors influence it?
•Peer groups—people that you regularly
associate with
•Opinion Leaders—those with a strong
influence on the views of others
•Mass Media—communications that reaches
large dispersed audiences (T.V., Internet, etc.)
•Historical Events—events that have a major
impact on our views (such as 9/11 or the Great
Depression)
How do you measure public
Opinion?
Polls—attempts to collect information
by asking people questions
How are polls conducted?
•Define the universe (or population the poll
aims to measure)
•Construct the sample (or a representative
slice of the total universe)
•Prepare Valid Questions
•Conduct the Interview
•Reporting Findings
Lesson 2: Interest
Groups
Interest Groups are private organizations
that try to persuade public officials to
respond to the shared attitudes of its
members, thus influencing public policy.
They may come in the form of:
•Associations
•Clubs
•Committees
•Etc.
Examples
Like parties, interest groups are made up of
people who unite for some political
purpose.
But interest groups differ in 3 main ways:
•They do not nominate candidates for office
•They focus only on the interests of their
members
•They usually focus on one or only a few
issues
What do interest groups try to
accomplish?
•To give info and “educate” the public on
their issue
•To build a positive image for the group
•To promote their policy agenda(s)
• To lobby and use propaganda to persuade
Lesson 3:
Mass Media
How important is the media?
Some call it the “fourth branch of
government!”
Think about it! Where do we get most of what
we know about government and public
policy?
Some form of media (T.V., internet,
newspaper, radio, etc.)
(1) The mass media is an agenda setter—often
largely determining what public issues people
think and talk about—thus, what issues
politicians are most concerned with.
(2) Candidates and government officials
depend on the media to reach the people,
and they try to use it to their advantage.
Sadly, despite 24 hour news and instant
communication, Americans are not as informed
as we may think.
Public Knowledge of Current
Affairs Little Changed by News
and Information Revolutions
Survey Finds American Teens
Woefully Uninformed about
Government
Survey Finds Poll Workers Often
Misinformed Voters Last Election
Nearly One-Third of Younger Americans
See Colbert, Stewart As Alternatives to
Traditional News Outlets
American Public is Misinformed,
Distrustful, New Survey Finds
Poll: Voters Unaware of
Candidates Immigration Positions
Will I get the same news coverage from all
forms of media?
Judge for yourself….
Educated voters know the difference
between news reporting and
commentary AND access multiple forms
of media.
Remember, relying ONLY on Fox News
or ONLY on CNN may not be what is
best!