Transcript Mass Media and Public opinion

PUBLIC OPINION AND POLLS
Public opinion – a complex collection
of the opinions of many different
persons – a sum total of their views.
 There are many different publics in
the United States – each public is
made up of people who hold the view
on a particular public issue.
Americans belong to many different
publics, each with a distinctive view
point
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Public opinion includes only those
views that relate to matters of public
concern.
 In other words – Public opinion are
attitudes held by a significant number
of persons concerning governmental
and political questions
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HOW IS PUBLIC OPINION
SHAPED?
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Political Socialization – the complex
process by which individuals acquire their
political attitudes and opinions
The earliest and one of the most significant
agents in the political socialization process
is the family where children acquire basic
attitudes that affect future opinions
Other forms of political socialization are:
schools
opinion leaders
mass media
HOW IS PUBLIC OPINION
MEASURED?
elections, interest groups, media and
personal contacts and polls
 Polls are devices that attempt to
collect information to determine
public opinion, they determine
people’s attitudes and viewpoints
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The most reliable measure of public
opinion is the scientific poll
 define the universe (population) the poll
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aims to measure
construct a representative sample
prepare valid questions
select and control the polling
report the findings
One argument against polls criticizes the
“bandwagon effect,” which is the tendency
of some voters to go along with the crowd
MASS MEDIA
Mass media is those means of
communication that reach large, widely
dispersed audiences simultaneously–
television, newspapers, radio and
magazines
 Mass media, unlike interest groups, do
not exist to influence, they seem to
affect politics most by focusing
people’s attention on certain issues
 Television is the most influential source
of political information for most people
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