Chapter 06. Public Opinion
the fact that respondents report what they think the interviewer wishes to hear or whatever they think is socially acceptable rather than what they actually believe
What is the "social desirability effect"?
person's family.
A person's political party preference is primarily acquired through the influence of the
Correct Answer(s) someone who believes the rising costs of health care is one of America's most important problems someone who already tends to support government expansion of health care someone with low information about politics Incorrect Answer(s) a conservative who generally believes in limited government someone knowledgeable about politics (Those with less political knowledge are generally more open to new information. More knowledgeable citizens can more easily reject messages that do not align with their predispositions.)
A political action committee launches a new advertisement aimed at building support for a policy that would expand health insurance to low-income Americans through increased government funding. According to Zaller's Receive-Accept-Sample (RAS) model, who would be most susceptible to this message?
Correct Answer(s) The survey could have a very high non-response rate, which could produce bias. The survey may provide biased results due to sample selection bias. Incorrect Answer(s) The landline phone survey will always be more accurate than an internet survey. The survey will give unbiased and reliable estimates as long as there are a sufficient number of respondents.
A polling organization conducts a survey of voter intentions relying on a list of landline phone numbers. What might be the result of conducting the survey in this way?
Picture Any group should be allowed to hold a rally for a cause (Somewhat surprisingly, the most controversial of the three values is democracy. Roughly one-third of American citizens do not support the idea that groups should be able to hold a rally for a particular cause.)
According to a 2015 Pew Research Center survey, which fundamental value is most controversial among Americans? Select the value on the image to answer.
picture (Somewhat surprisingly, the most controversial of the three values is democracy. Roughly one-third of American citizens do not support the idea that groups should be able to hold a rally for a particular cause.)
According to a 2015 Pew Research Center survey, which fundamental value is most controversial among Americans? Select the value on the image to answer.
the bandwagon effect (Bandwagoning or momentum can be a big part of presidential nomination races.)
After former Vice President Joe Biden won the South Carolina Democratic primary, many voters in the Super Tuesday states shifted their support to Biden, believing that he had the best chance of winning. What is this phenomenon called?
False (Americans tend to express overwhelming support for both liberty and equality of opportunity, and these values shape their political attitudes.)
Although the vast majority of Americans support liberty, Americans tend to be divided over their support for equality of opportunity.
Correct Answer(s) Either Candidate Smith or Candidate Jones could win this election since they are in a statistical tie. Incorrect Answer(s) Three percent of the voters in the poll remain undecided between the candidates. Candidate Jones is projected to win the election. Candidate Smith is projected to win the election assuming the poll used a random sample.
An election poll of 1,000 people indicates that 48 percent of voters favor Candidate Smith and 50 percent of voters favor Candidate Jones, with a 3 percent margin of error.
Picture Correct Answer(s) More Americans today identify themselves as conservatives than liberals. Incorrect Answer(s) More Americans today identify themselves as either liberals or conservatives compared to moderates. More Americans today identify themselves as liberals than conservatives.
Analyze the graph on the percentage of Americans who claim each ideology, and then answer the question. Which statement about Americans' ideology is correct?
(picture)
Based on their platforms, match each candidate to the correct ideological description.
Picture 39 (Although 71 percent of Democrats attributed being poor to circumstances beyond the person's control, only 32 percent of Republicans did so. This is a 39-percentage-point partisan gap.The partisan gap in what Democrats and Republicans attribute to the source of being poor is the largest of all groups shown in the figure. These partisan differences in attitudes about what leads one to be poor have important implications for their support for redistributive public policies.)
By how many percentage points are Democrats compared to Republicans more likely to attribute being poor to circumstances beyond the individual's control?
Information shortcuts Often (Individuals with low levels of knowledge are able to make relatively informed choices by relying on these cues from friends, relatives, political parties, and the media.)
By using __________, average citizens form opinions that are __________ consistent with their underlying preferences.
picture high income (>$75,000)-worked harder Democrats-advantages in life women-advantages in life Republicans-worked harder men-worked harder low income (<$30,000)-advantages in life
Different groups have different beliefs on what leads to a person becoming rich. Attribute "advantages in life" or "worked harder" to the groups most likely to ascribe to that belief.
has a conservative ideology.
Donald Trump called himself a "law and order" president. This supports the idea that the president
group self-interest
During his 2020 campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders advocated for free tuition at public colleges. Which of the following best explains support for the policy among young individuals?
Picture small differences in survey wording can have big differences in results. (The precise words used in a question can have a big impact on the answers respondents give.)
Given survey respondents' varying answers to the same basic question as shown in this box, what should we conclude about surveys?
Republicans, 72% of whom do not want stricter gun laws
In a speech, President Trump reminded the audience he would protect Second Amendment rights (the right to bear arms). This statement is most likely to convince and persuade which group that they should support his efforts?
responds responds (The relationship between opinion and policy is dynamic: policy responds to opinion, and opinion responds to policy. Smoking bans are a good example of this; public support of smoking bans led to government response, which increased the popularity of smoking bans among the public.)
Government policy _________ to public opinion; public opinion _______ to government policy.
Correct Answer(s) The more education one has, the more tolerant of racial minorities one is. The more education one has, the more likely one is to be involved in politics. Incorrect Answer(s) The more education one has, the more ideologically conservative one becomes.
Identify the correct and incorrect statements regarding the role education plays in political socialization.
Correct Answer(s) It is possible to estimate the country's opinion based on a small sample of 1,000 to 1,200 people. Incorrect Answer(s) It is impossible to collect a random sample. For a public-opinion survey to be accurate, it only needs to have more than 20 respondents. Public-opinion surveys only tell you what the sample's opinions are, without providing any insight into the general population.
Identify the correct and incorrect statements.
Correct Answer(s) The media can have an important influence on public opinion by the way they frame issues and events. Voters have difficulty in connecting their own economic self-interest to specific policy proposals. Incorrect Answer(s) Only Democrats cite economic inequality and the gulf between the 99 percent of income earners and 1 percent as a concern. African Americans and Whites exhibit similar levels of support for Black Lives Matter.
Identify the correct and incorrect statements.
leads candidate B by anywhere between 2 and 8 percentage points.
If a national survey finds candidate A leads candidate B by 5% in the upcoming election and the margin of error in the survey is 3%, it means candidate A
bandwagon effect.
If a person supports a candidate because he or she is the front-runner in a poll, it is an example of the
1,000 (1,000 respondents are generally the minimum number of respondents to accurately measure public opinion. At 1,000 respondents, the sampling error is about 3.1 percent. A sample of 1,000 is a sufficient number for measuring the public's opinion. A sample of 5,000 provides roughly the same sampling error as a sample of 1,000, but at a considerably higher cost.)
In a scientific poll, what sample size is generally sufficient for accurately measuring national public opinion?
Correct Answer(s) expansion of federal social services extensive government intervention in the economy protection of rights for LGBTQ persons Incorrect Answer(s) state-sanctioned expressions of religion cutting taxes and reducing government spending
In contemporary politics, which of the following political positions are more likely to be supported by liberals?
Correct Answer(s) tax cuts especially for corporations expansion of military funding reducing the size of the federal government Incorrect Answer(s) regulation on business government involvement in health care
In contemporary politics, which political positions are more likely to be supported by conservatives?
Correct Answer(s) tax cuts especially for corporations reducing the size of the federal government expansion of military funding Incorrect Answer(s) government involvement in health care regulation on business
In contemporary politics, which political positions are more likely to be supported by conservatives?
Conservatives Conservatives generally oppose change, viewing government action as a threat to the freedom of individual citizens. Thus, they are most likely to support the status quo.
In general, which political or ideological group is most likely to oppose the expansion of government activity?
Each person within the specified population has an equal probability of being selected a respondent (A simple random sample is critical for pollsters to make inferences about the national population.)
In public-opinion polling, what is a simple random sample?
declining steadily and now average less than 10%.
In recent years, response rates for random digit dial surveys have been
Correct Answer(s) You receive the message but do not accept it. Incorrect Answer(s) You accept the message but do not sample from it when asked for your opinion on tax cuts. You accept the message and sample from it when asked your opinion on tax cuts. You do not receive the message and thus cannot accept it.
In the Receive-Accept-Sample (RAS) model of public opinion, what happens when you hear a media report that goes against your beliefs about tax cuts?
basic principles that shape a person's opinions about issues and events (The political values of liberty, equality of opportunity, and democracy are widely held by Americans.)
In the context of understanding public opinion, which of the following is the best definition of values?
Higher Higher Are (Individuals who are most politically knowledgeable tend to have higher educational attainment, higher income, and are members of civic organizations.)
Individuals who have ______ educational attainment, _______ income, and ______ members of civic organizations are most likely to be politically knowledgeable.
political ideologies.
Liberalism and conservatism are examples of
the social desirability effect (Respondents may state that they would support a woman candidate because they feel like that is the response the interviewer wants and because the interviewer is a woman when perhaps they do not truly hold that preference.)
Maria conducted an in-person pre-election survey about voter preferences in the Democratic primary. She found that nearly all respondents (98 percent) were open to supporting a woman candidate. However, in the anonymous follow-up survey that re-interviewed the respondents, only 80 percent responded that they would be open to supporting a woman candidate. What could be generating these different results?
Government interference in individuals' lives should be kept to a minimum. - Liberty All individuals should be allowed to seek personal and material success.- Equality of opportunity Every citizen should have the opportunity to take part in the government process.-Democracy
Match each political value to its definition.
1.political ideology 2.public opinion 3.attitudes
Match each term to its definition. 1.a cohesive set of beliefs that forms a general philosophy about the role of government 2.citizens' attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events 3.a specific preference on a particular issue
an instrument designed to shape the respondent's opinion-Push Poll large, complex sets of data requiring advanced analytical techniques to yield insights - Big Data a scientific instrument for measuring public opinion - Public opinion poll
Match the term to its definition. an instrument designed to shape the respondent's opinion large, complex sets of data requiring advanced analytical techniques to yield insights a scientific instrument for measuring public opinion
they vote at higher rates, and they are more likely to contribute money to political campaigns.
More affluent and educated citizens wield an outsized influence over policy makers because
The Excelsior Scholarship program would cause New Yorkers to have a more favorable view of "free college" public policies. (The policy feedback theory argues that citizens' experiences with public policies can shape opinion surrounding those programs.)
New York state enacted the Excelsior Scholarship program, which provides low- and middle-income families free college at New York public universities (i.e., SUNY and CUNY). According to the concept of policy feedback, what effect would the Excelsior Scholarship program have?
same-sex marriage (This is a high-profile issue that is relatively simple. In general, government responds to public opinion most often when the issue is both high profile and simple to understand. Government responses to special interests depend on the issue.)
On which of the following topics is the government most likely to respond to shifts in public opinion?
Picture Black Lives Matter Climate change Health care costs Drug addiction Social Security
Order the issues from those exhibiting the largest partisan gap to those exhibiting the smallest partisan gap.
Picture looked for information about protests/rallies in area encouraged others to take action on issues important to them changed their hashtag related to a political social issue taken part in a group that shares an interest in an issue/cause
Order these activities from those with the greatest partisan gap to those with the smallest partisan gap.
libertarian conservative liberal socialist
Order these ideologies from those that call for the least amount of government involvement in the economy and society to those that call for the greatest amount of government involvement.
describes the process in which individuals learn the underlying beliefs and values on which a political system is based.
Political socialization
less less (Pollsters are increasingly relying on online surveys, as they can be more efficient. Nonetheless, getting a random sample online is even more difficult than it is in a telephone survey.)
Pollsters are using online surveys, which are ________ costly and less time-consuming than telephone surveys. However, online surveys are _______ likely to collect a random sample than telephone surveys.
there is not a complete list of all Americans that can be used to identify the population.
Pollsters use random digit dialing to gather national samples for public-opinion polls because
more affluent and more educated citizens have a disproportionate influence over politics and public policy decisions.
Research into public opinion and public policy has shown that
Correct Answer(s) partisanship a good friend's Facebook post supporting the tax cut Incorrect Answer(s) economic self-interest Congressional Budget Office's analysis
Sandy, who has little interest in politics, is completing a survey questionnaire about the Republican tax cuts. Which factors would likely influence her opinion on the policy?
False (Research shows that not everyone votes at the same rate, and elected officials are more responsive to those who vote (which tends to be wealthier, more highly educated, older citizens).)
Since each person has one vote, elected officials respond to all citizens and this produces moderate policies.
More Liberal States where conservative opinions are the majority tend to adopt more conservative laws, and states with more liberal public opinion adopt more liberal policies.
States with more conservative opinions tend to adopt ____________ conservative laws, and states with more ______________ public opinion adopt more liberal policies.
Picture Correct Answer(s) Those with post-graduate degrees were more likely to contact an elected official and attend a political rally compared to those with some college. People are more likely to have publicly expressed support for a political campaign on social media than to report having attended a political rally. Incorrect Answer(s) Individuals regardless of their education level are very active in politics. Those with a high school education or less are much more likely to report attending a political rally than publicly expressing support for a political campaign on social media.
Study the Who Participates? infographic, and then answer the question. Identify the correct and incorrect statements about who participates in politics.
Correct Answer(s) Moderates who lean liberal ideologically were the least likely to report discussing their political opinions a few times a week. More educated individuals were much more likely to say that they discussed their political opinions a few times a week. Incorrect Answer(s) The gap between Republicans and Democrats reporting that they discuss politics a few times a week is significantly greater than the gap between individuals with a high school education or less and those with a post-graduate degree. Republicans were significantly more likely to discuss their political opinions than Democrats (by a 20 percentage point margin).
Study the Who Participates? infographic, and then answer the question. Identify the correct and incorrect statements about who discusses politics.
(Picture) Correct Answer(s) People are more likely to have publicly expressed support for a political campaign on social media than to report having attended a political rally. Those with post-graduate degrees were more likely to contact an elected official and attend a political rally compared to those with some college. Incorrect Answer(s) Those with a high school education or less are much more likely to report attending a political rally than publicly expressing support for a political campaign on social media. Individuals regardless of their education level are very active in politics.
Study the Who Participates? infographic, and then answer the question. Identify the correct and incorrect statements about who participates in politics.
attitude; value
Support for an affirmative action policy that considers an applicant's race in university admissions is an example of a political ________, while a belief in equality of opportunity is an example of a political ________.
Picture when applying for a loan or mortgage when seeking medical treatment in store or restaurants in hirning,pay.protions (Although only 38 percent of White Americans feel Black Americans are treated differently when applying for a loan or mortgage, 74 percent of Black Americans feel they are. This represents a 36 percentage point gap)
Surveys have shown that White and Black Americans differ in how they perceive race relations. The following graph of survey data shows the percentage of people who think Black Americans are treated less fairly than Whites. Select each of the areas of the chart where there is more than a 30-percent gap between White and Black Americans.
online processing
The ________ model states that individuals keep a running tally of information and use that tally to form their opinions.
geographic sorting.
The fact that liberals choose to live in neighborhoods, cities, counties, and states that are more liberal while conservatives move to areas with populations with more conservative views is called
importance of political knowledge
The fact that many middle-class and lower-middle-class citizens who did not stand to benefit from President George W. Bush's tax cuts seemed to favor them is an example of the
False (The government's claims are often disputed by the media, interest groups, and opposing forces within the government itself, making large shifts in public opinion difficult.)
The government can easily and substantially influence public opinion.
beliefs and attitudes toward different issues, events, and people.
The term "public opinion" is used to describe
Picture When public opinion changes, it tends to move slowly. (Public opinion is not volatile; rather, changes in opinion take time to develop.)
These graphs of survey data measure the stability and change in American public opinion. Study the graphs closely, and then answer the question. Based on the graph, which statement about public opinion is correct?
Educated More More (Education and political knowledge is positively correlated with political activity, which in turn leads elected officials to pay more attention to the preferences of the most active citizens)
Voters who are more ______ are generally _______ knowledgeable about politics and are ________ likely to have government policy reflect their economic interests.
Correct Answer(s) to shape the respondent's perception of the candidate or issue in question Incorrect Answer(s) to collect as much public-opinion data as quickly as possible to distinguish between people giving true responses and socially desirable responses to correct an error in a simple random sample that did not have enough respondents in it
What is the goal of a push poll?
Correct Answer(s) Underlying values tend to shape specific attitudes. Underlying values are formed through political socialization. Incorrect Answer(s) Specific issues are formed through political socialization. Specific attitudes tend to shape underlying values.
What is true regarding socialization, the attitudes about political issues, and underlying political values?
Correct Answer(s) Actual policies show little relationship to the preferences of the poor and middle class. Actual policies reflect the preferences of the affluent. Incorrect Answer(s) Actual policies reflect the preferences of the poor and middle class. Actual policies show little relationship to the preferences of the affluent.
When Americans with different income levels differ in policy preferences, which of the following statements are correct regarding actual policy outcomes?
Data Mining (Campaigns have started to rely heavily on "big data" to develop their message and to improve the way they contact voters.)
When a political campaign relies on social media, consumer purchasing patterns, and even Netflix cues to complement public-opinion polls, what is it called?
Correct Answer(s) The Lincoln Project, a campaign group made up of many conservative Republicans, launched a series of ads criticizing President Trump's performance in office. Although all candidates for the 2020 Democratic president nomination viewed health care as a right, some (including Bernie Sanders) supported Medicare-for-All, and others (including Joe Biden) supported keeping and improving the framework created by the Affordable Care Act. Republican attempts to repeal and replace "Obamacare" were thwarted when Republican Senator John McCain voted against it. Incorrect Answer(s) Opinion differences between Democratic and Republican partisans are greater today than during any other period for which data are available, spanning immigration, energy, income inequality, climate change, environment, national defense, budget deficits, and taxes.
Which examples show individual differences within a political party?
Correct Answer(s) The Lincoln Project, a campaign group made up of many conservative Republicans, launched a series of ads criticizing President Trump's performance in office. Republican attempts to repeal and replace "Obamacare" were thwarted when Republican Senator John McCain voted against it. Although all candidates for the 2020 Democratic president nomination viewed health care as a right, some (including Bernie Sanders) supported Medicare-for-All, and others (including Joe Biden) supported keeping and improving the framework created by the Affordable Care Act. Incorrect Answer(s) Opinion differences between Democratic and Republican partisans are greater today than during any other period for which data are available, spanning immigration, energy, income inequality, climate change, environment, national defense, budget deficits, and taxes.
Which examples show individual differences within a political party?
Correct Answer(s) People may support policies against their own self-interest. Political opinion can be manipulated by political elites. Incorrect Answer(s) Public opinion is irrational and volatile. People are not capable of making informed decisions.
Which of the following are results of the low levels of political knowledge among many Americans?
Correct Answer(s) wording of survey questions a large sample ability to randomly select respondents Incorrect Answer(s) ensuring that respondents make socially desirable answers
Which of the following elements do pollsters have to consider before conducting a poll that will forecast the election?
Correct Answer(s) gender race income religion age Incorrect Answer(s) height eye color
Which of the following factors influence Americans' attitudes or opinions?
the process through which political beliefs and values are formed (Political socialization is the introduction of individuals into the culture and the learning of the values and beliefs on which the system is based.)
Which of the following is the best definition of political socialization?
Citizens with high levels of knowledge are generally better able to evaluate new information to determine its relevancy to their beliefs.
Which of the following statements about public opinion in America is most accurate?
correct Answer(s) Party polarization decreases the impact of other information on public opinion. Party endorsements have a larger impact on opinion formation than they used to. Incorrect Answer(s) The political parties are now sending inconsistent policy cues more than they used to. People tend to ignore the parties more now than they used to because they are so extreme.
Which of the following statements are correct regarding the effect of party polarization on public opinion?
Circumstances Beyond Their Control high-income earners college graduates Democrats women Lack of Effort Republicans
Which of these groups are more likely to attribute a person's being poor to a lack of effort on their part, and which are more likely to attribute being poor to circumstances beyond their control?
interest groups the media government officials political parties
Which of these individuals, groups, or organizations contribute to the marketplace of ideas?
Competing forces try to persuade as many people as possible, and few people resist modification of their beliefs. (The constant exposure to various forces trying to get their definition of an issue adopted influences nearly everyone.)
Which statement correctly describes the effect that the marketplace of ideas has on opinion formation?
Candidate Patterson's Platform (liberal) opposes corporate tax cuts supports stricter environmental protections wants universal health care through improving the Affordable Care Act Candidate Gonzalez's Platform (conservative) opposes business regulation supports tax cuts supports banning abortions Candidate Johnson's Platform (socialist) supports the rights of workers to organize and form unions supports universal basic income (UBI) wants a single-payer health care system Candidate Smith's Platform (libertarian) opposes the Green New Deal and other climate change measures supports the legalization of marijuana supports access to safe, legal abortions libertarian (Conservatives want fewer regulations on business and tax cuts, but they also support greater government regulation of abortion and controlled substances. Candidate Patterson generally supports more government involvement but through reforms of the existing framework (e.g., reforming the Affordable Care Act rather than upending it Socialists are the furthest "left" of the ideologies on this list. Libertarians support limited government involvement in economic and social issues.).
Which political ideology describes each candidate?
Correct Answer(s) The way the media present a story can influence public opinion. Media coverage of corruption in government has undermined public trust. Incorrect Answer(s) The media have little effect on public opinion.
Which statements about the media's influence over public opinion are correct?
Correct Answer(s) Most voters are generally poorly informed about politics. Most voters are relatively informed about an issue that matters to them. Incorrect Answer(s) Most voters are generally poorly informed about an issue that matters to them. Most voters are relatively informed about politics.
Which statements are correct regarding political knowledge?
Correct Answer(s) The wealthy are more likely to contribute money to campaigns. The wealthy vote at higher rates. Incorrect Answer(s) The poor typically vote at higher rates but are more prone to single-issue voting. The wealthy generally have better policy ideas and are better able to articulate these ideas to government officials.
Why are Republican and Democratic politicians more likely to respond to the wealthy?
Cues are easy; cues from trusted officials are usually consistent with a person's underlying preferences.
Why do most people use cues from party elites and elected officials to help them form their political attitudes?
Correct Answer(s) A public policy might serve as a moral or ethical cue that shapes attitudes. Citizens' experience with the programs or policies exposes them to new ideas, which can change opinion. Seeing the policies in action and whether or not the policies were successful can influence public opinion about the policies. Incorrect Answer(s) Elected officials are always effective at touting the benefits of the policy, which leads to the public's approval of it.
Why might public policies shape public opinion?
More Responsive older citizens high-income individuals well-educated individuals voters Less Responsive less-educated individuals young citizens low-income individuals nonvoters
Would an elected official be more or less responsive to the following groups?
Political ideology Liberals Conservatives
______________ refers to a set of beliefs or values that forms a general philosophy toward government. For instance, ___________ tend to support expanding federal social service and health care programs, whereas _____________ tend to prefer more individual freedom and less government involvement in the economy
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