Transcript public opinion

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Warm up
Who is eligible to vote in the U.S.?
Who can’t vote?
What is an absentee ballot?
What is an exit poll?
Who makes up the electorate?
What is apathy?
What percentage of people vote in a Presidential
election? Non Presidential elections?
8. What is the difference between an initiative and a
referendum?
9. What is the most common means of campaigning?
10. Why do incumbents win most of the time?
11. What is the difference between hard money and soft
money?
Warm up
• 1. List three things that influence public opinion.
• 2. What do we call individuals who share a point of view and unite to
promote their beliefs?
• 3. What is the most accurate way to measure public opinion?
• 4. What term refers to ideas people hold about a particular issue?
• 5. Why are interest groups often referred to as pressure groups?
• 6. Because most media outlets are private businesses, how do media
managers decide what news to run?
• 7. What is prior restraint?
• 8. What was decided about libel in New York Times vs. Sullivan?
• 9. Why would a politician leak information?
• 10. What are lobbyists?
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• 11. What group represents doctors?
• 12. What is the largest group representing workers?
• 13. What is the most important resource for lobbyists?
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• 14. What is the primary goal of interest groups?
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• 15. What protects a person’s right to join an interest group?
Public Opinion
Chapter 11
Vocab – chapter 11
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Public opinion
Mass media
Interest group
Public opinion
poll
Pollster
Electronic media
Public agenda
Leak
9. Prior restraint
10.Libel
11.Malice
12.Public interest
group
13.Nonpartisan
14.Political Action
Committee (PAC)
15.Lobbyist
Public Opinion
• The ideas & attitudes people have about
candidates
• Influenced by age, gender, income, hobbies,
race, religion & occupation
• Mass media is a strong influence
• Politicians must be responsive to public opinion
if they are going to get reelected
• Understanding public opinion helps presidents
make effective, timely decisions.
Successful presidents have a good sense of
when the public is ready for a new idea and
when it is not.
• Franklin D. Roosevilt expressed this idea when
he said, “I cannot go any faster than the
people will let me.”
• What exactly did President Roosevelt mean?
Determining Public Opinion
Public Opinion Polls – survey – most accurate
way to determine public opinion
Pollsters – people trained to take polls & measure
public opinion
Push Polls – used to push public opinion one way
or another
Have loaded questions – biased to get a
certain response
Presidential Approval Rating
Gallup Poll – sampling of public opinion on a
particular issue by questioning a representative
cross section.
Presidential Approval Ratings
Media
• Print – newspapers, mailings, magazines
• Electronic – TV, radio, internet
• Main purpose – to keep us informed
• Independent media is most desirable
• Literacy is important
• Bias – one-sided point of view
Biased Media
• Fox – Republican
biased news
• MSNBC – Democratic
biased news
• How can you protect
yourself from bias in
the news?
Interest Groups
• People attempting to influence government
with their shared views
• Pressure groups – group of people who
share an interest, concern, or set of opinions
and who try to influence politics and the
govt.
• Functions:
o Bring issues to the public & lawmakers
o Support candidates who favor their goals
Types of Interest Groups
• Economic – most common
o Business organizations – interested in trade
o Industrial & Trade – represent certain types of
business
o Labor Unions – rights of workers
o Professional Associations – represent different
professions
o Ex. US Chamber of Congress, Tobacco Institute,
AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and
Congress of Industrial Organizations – alliance
of labor unions)
• Group
o Ethnicity (NAACP)
o Age (AARP)
o Gender (NOW)
• Public – focus on specific causes (PETA)
Ways Special Interest Groups Influence
Politics
• Election Activities – backing a candidate
• Lobbying – persuading officials
• Provide expert testimony or help write laws
in committees
• Go to court to fight a cause
• Fund elections
• What assumption can we make about
people in an interest group?
• What does the phrase, “strength in
numbers,” tell us about interest
groups?
Lobbyists
• Lobby – try to get officials to support a
group’s goals
• Responsible for getting PAC money to the
right politicians
• Speak in congressional committees
Regulation
• Lobbyists can’t pay a candidates living
expenses
• Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946)
o All lobbies must register with federal &
state governments & report all
expenditures
• Why is it important to know who
lobbyists work for?
Propaganda
• Attempt to influence people with biased
information
• Always make sure to get both sides of a
story from reliable sources
• Good way to determine what a candidate
really supports is to see which PAC gives
them money for campaigning
Types of Propaganda
• Endorsements – famous or admirable person
supports a candidate
• Stacked Cards – presenting only 1 side of the
issue – distorting the facts
• Name-Calling – turning people against an
opponent by giving them an unpleasant label or
description
• Glittering Generality – statement that sounds
good but is meaningless
• Symbols – use and misuse of symbols
• Just Plain Folks – make people think that the
candidate is just like them
• Bandwagon – convincing people that everyone
else agrees with a certain candidate
• How does name-calling differ from
the other techniques?
Creating a Public Interest Campaign
1 - Identifying the issue -5 mins
• A democratic society requires the active
participation of its citizens.
• Identify an issue of either school, local, or
national interest.
• Prepare a short statement expressing your
viewpoint about the issue selected.
• The statement should explain what your concern
is, your viewpoint, and why you have this view
Creating a Public Interest Campaign
2 - Speaking Out – 20 mins
• Use your statement from part 1 as a basis for
an editorial – 3 paragraphs
• Include at least 2 statistics and one concrete
example that backs up your point of view.
• Include the sources you used to get the
information
Creating a Public Interest Campaign
3 - Working Together – 5 mins
• Create a name for your interest group and
plan a peaceful demonstration to promote
your agenda.
• Consider who you want to communicate
your concerns – the government or the
public.
• Consider what activity and location would
best communicate your concerns.
Creating a Public Interest Campaign
4 - Demonstrating Concern – 15 mins
• Using the plan you made in step 3 –
incorporate posters, music, and/or a skit that
dramatizes your causes.
What is publishing false information that
harms a person’s reputation?
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Propaganda
Censorship
Libel
Slander
A disadvantage of mass
campaigning is:
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Its too time consuming
It takes too many people
Its too expensive
It doesn’t reach enough people
All of the following are reasons a person
should volunteer except:
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The community benefits
A person can deduct it on their tax return
It pays well
It gives a person intrinsic value
All of the following are
duties except:
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Attending school
Paying taxes
Voting in elections
Serving on a jury
Which of the following can cause a voters
registration to be canceled?
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Convicted of a felony
Move out of the state
Nothing cancels voter registration
Both A and B are correct
A lobbyist can do all of the following except:
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Pay a member of congress to vote for a bill
Prepare a report on a bill
Research information about a bill
Testify about a bill
To learn about public opinion, pollsters
usually question:
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Americans from one particular economic group
Fewer than 100 people
A random sample of people
People with very strong opinions
Which one of the following is a branch of
the AFL-CIO Union?
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American Medical Association
American Bar Association
National Organization for Women
National Football Players Association
Most interest groups can
be described as:
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Biased
Illegal
Impartial
Ineffective
All males must register at the age of 18
with the:
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Selective Services
Draft Board
US Army
Board of Elections
What provides a way for citizens to approve
or reject state laws?
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Referendum
Proposition
Mandate
Initiative
When are referendums
most likely used?
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Daily issues
Run off elections
Recall elections
Controversial issues
What is the main purpose of the media in
politics?
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Ratings
To inform us
To influence the government
Support the government
What is the most common use of
campaigning during elections?
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Canvassing
Mail
Magazine & Newspaper Ads
TV
How does a person contribute to the
Presidential Election Campaign Fund?
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By paying the sales tax
Checking a box on their income tax forms
Ordinary people can not contribute
Only by contributing to PAC’s
What is a split ticket?
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Ballots with candidates listed on two sides
Using different ballots for national and state issues
Voting for candidates from different political
parties
Voting for candidates from the same political
party
Which President had the worst approval
rating?
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Harry Truman
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Richard Nixon
George Bush