Transcript Public Opinion, Mass Media, and Interest Groups

Public Opinion, Mass
Media, and Interest Groups
Chapter 11 Section 1, 2, and 3
Public Opinion



Public Opinion- ideas and attitudes that
most people hold about a particular issue
or person
Public Opinion helps shape the decisions of
every President
Presidents need the support of the public
and Congress to carry out programs– they
are more likely to have support if their
popularity with the public is high
Personal Background








Age
Gender
Income
Race
Religion
Occupation
Place of residence
Ex. A young wealthy person from a big city will
have different views about government than a
poor elderly woman from a small town
Interest
Groups


Interest Group- group of people who
share a similar point of view about an
issue and unite to promote their beliefs
Interest groups try to persuade public
officials toward their point of view
Features of Public
Opinion

Direction- Positive or negative
– Most of the time its mixed- some think positive,
some think negative

Intensity- Strength of an opinion
– When Americans have strong opinions on an issue,
many are willing to act upon them by voting for or
against a candidate or participating in a
demonstration

Stability- How firmly people hold to their views
– People’s opinions are less likely to change when they
have a firm belief
Measuring Public Opinion

Public Opinion Polls- survey in which
individuals are asked to answer questions
about a particular issue or person
–
–
–
–


How good of a job is President Obama doing?
Do you support sending more troops to Iraq?
Do you support universal healthcare?
How satisfied are you with your Senators?
Pollster- person who regularly conducts
polls
Random Samples- group of people picked at
random from all over the US
– Usually 1,500, men, women, all races, incomes,
ages and viewpoints
Measuring Public Opinion
cont.




Pollsters must be careful how they word
their questions so they do not influence
people
Push Polls- polls in which questions are
worded to influence a person’s response
Pros- people in office keep up with
citizen’s changing ideas about issues
Cons- people in office are more
concerned with pleasing the public than
political leadership
Mass Media




Print Media- newspapers, magazines, and
books
Electronic Media- TV, radio, and internet
Public Agenda- issues that receive the
most time, money and effort from
government leaders
When the media publicizes a problem
people begin to worry about it and the
government must address it
Interest Groups

Private Interest Groups- promote special
interest of their members
– National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People
– National Organization for Women
– National Education Association
– American Medical Association
– National Rifle Association
– American Automobile Association
– People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Give members incentives to join
Public Interest Groups

Public Interest Groups- promote special
interest of all, not just members
– League of Women Voters
– Sierra Club

Political Action Committees (PACS)collect money from the members of their
group and use it to support some
candidates and oppose others
Lobbyist




Lobbyists- representatives of interest
groups who contact government
officials directly
Named this as they used to wait in the
lobby to ask politicians for favors
Prepare their own drafts of bills
Try and make sure laws are enforced
and upheld in court
Lobbyists
Pros- make
government more
responsive,
communicate people’s
wishes to politicians
 Cons- have too much say in government,
monetary contributions give them improper
influence over government
