Transcript Chapter 7
Chapter 7 Public Opinion Forms of Public Opinion • Public Opinion – the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs shared by some portion of the adult population – there is no one public opinion because there are many different “publics” • Consensus opinions – when there is general agreement among the citizenry on an issue • Divisive opinions – when public opinion is polarized between two quite different positions Aspects of Polling Techniques • simple random sample – each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample • quota sample – a less accurate technique wherein polling organizations predetermine the characteristics of the needed sample, and then find respondents with those characteristics to fill the slots • sampling error – the difference between a sample’s results and the result if the entire population had been interviewed Political Socialization • What is Political Socialization? – the process by which individuals acquire political beliefs and attitudes • How are Americans socialized? • Family – – – – the most important force in socialization links us to other forces of socialization parents communicate preferences to children children want to please parents and are receptive to their views – demonstrated the most in consistency in party identification Political Socialization (cont.) • Education – learn patriotism, structure of government and how to form positions on issues – more the education a person has, the more likely he or she will be interested in politics • Peers – most likely to shape political opinions when peer groups are politically active • Religious Influence – deeply religious (as measured by church attendance) more likely to vote Republican, regardless of denomination – religious groups are likely to transmit definite political preferences – Roman Catholics → liberal; Protestants → conservative; Jewish → liberal How are Americans socialized? (cont.) • Economic Status and Occupation – poorer people → more inclined to favor socialwelfare programs, more isolationist – richer people → more tolerant of social change, conservative economically • Influence of Political Events – events impact people’s political attitudes – when the effect of an event is long-lasting and impacts the preferences of those who came of age at that time, it is called a generational effect • Examples include the terrorist attacks of September11th, Great Depression, World War II and the Vietnam War How are Americans socialized? (cont.) • Opinion Leaders’ Influence – leaders sometimes influence the opinions of others • Media Influence – newspapers, t.v., radio and the Internet influence public opinion – through agenda setting – by shaping opinions • Demographic Traits – African Americans → liberal – whites → comparatively conservative – younger adults → liberal – older adults → comparatively conservative • The Gender Gap – the difference between the percentage of votes a candidates receives from women versus from men – women tend to vote more Democrat – men tend to vote more Republican Pubic Opinion About Government Pubic Opinion About Government Pubic Opinion About Government