PSCI 2305 WEBTEXT
What did studies from the 1950s reveal about public opinion?
Citizens possessed low levels of political knowledge
Who was the first president to use a private polling firm?
Franklin Roosevelt
Which president had the highest approval rating at the midpoint of his first term?
George H.W. Bush
What does Figure 3 illustrate about the tone of different media during the 2016 presidential election campaign?
It shows that Trump and Clinton received about the same amount of negative coverage in the last week of the campaign
Texas's size and history, as well as its political and cultural variety, have contributed to the development of what might be called a "pragmatic center." Which of the following statements is true regarding the pragmatic center in Texas?
It tends to reflect relatively conservative, pro-business policy preferences
Who believed that the best form of government is one that is only INDIRECTLY influenced by public opinon?
James Madison
Which of the following resulted from the 1980 election between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter?
Media outlets agreed to wait to call races until all polls on the West Coast had closed
Direct Spanish influence on the culture of Texas is overshadowed by which of the following related cultural influences?
Mexican culture
What are the two primary roles media play in reporting the news?
News media alert us about important issues and then investigate them
What idea does the phrase "accidental viewer" express?
Prior to the rise of cable television. fewer channel choices meant some Americans were likely to watch the news even if they didn't really like watching the news
Based on Table 2, whose supporters were most likely to have not known whether they received the Literary Digest ballot?
Roosevelt
What has proven to be the biggest impediment to government regulation of the Internet?
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Congressional efforts to restrict obscenity on the internet are a violation of the First Amendment's protection of freedom of speech
Which of the following is a characteristic of the political climate in Texas after the civil rights movement?
a comparatively low level of state-funded social services, which are kept minimal by a general hostility toward progressive taxation
What accounts for the "honeymoon period" that most presidents enjoy?
a lack of presidential record in office
In 2018, Anglos made up what percentage of Texas's population?
a little over 40%
Which of the following BEST describes Political Culture
a set of shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that relate to government and politics
Table 2 demonstrates that question wording can have what sort of impact on poll results?
a significant impact
Why are news media so important to a functioning democracy?
a strong democracy requires an informed citizenry, and news media are a primary source of information for most voters
What concern does the Associated Press have about news aggregators?
aggregators undercut the revenue that newspapers and magazines depend on
Why do double-barreled questions make it difficult to evaluate the public's opinion on an issue?
because it is difficult to know which part of the question respondents are replying to
Reporters Julie Rose and Sarah Batista are similar in which of the following ways?
both are focused on getting quality recorded material from their interviews
Which of the following is currently regulated by the Federal Communications Commission?
broadcast television
How might the media "frame" the issue of budget cuts?
by choosing certain words to refer to the budget cuts
How have political candidates reacted to the growing popularity of infotainment?
by making appearances on infotainment programs
After answering a question that asks what you consider to be the most important problem facing the nation, you answer a question about presidential approval. A question-ordering effect presumes that you may do which of the following?
consider how the president has handled your "most important issue"
Why was Congress slow to respond to the federal bailout package in 2008?
constituent opposition
What ushered in the era of watchdog journalism?
coverage of the Watergate break-in
The American public tends to judge news outlets according to which of the following criteria?
credibility
Public approval ratings of presidents tend to be which of the following?
cyclical
Which of the following presents a significant constraint on Sarah Batista's job?
dealing pressures
Aside from meeting the deadline, what is your major challenge as a journalist in this scenario?
deciding how to write a balanced story that presents the views of the builder while also informing potential homeowners of their rights
The author of this essay concludes that the Telecommunication Act of 1996 encourages which of the following?
democratic and capitalistic values that are reinforced through the socialization of Americans
Given the challenges presented by measurement error, what does the author of this essay conclude?
despite their flaws, surveys are still the best method of measuring public opinion
what is the difference between early news aggregators and next-generation aggregators?
early aggregators were driven by user subscriptions, whereas next-generation aggregators use algorithms to push news to users
Yellow journalism might include which of the following?
fabricated news stories
According to Craig Silverman's analysis, why was fake news a problem in the final few months before the 2016 presidential election?
fake news stories were more widely consumed than real news stories on Facebook
What happened when newspaper coverage of health care reform declined?
fewer people viewed it as the most important issue facing the country
What is a benefit of a more informed electorate, according to the text?
greater agreement between what citizens want and what policymakers do
If a reporter intended to frame gay marriage in a positive light, how might she do so?
highlight the joyous reaction of gay couples following the Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage
Which of the following would be considered a short-cut in making voting decisions?
identifying with a party
The actions of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein led to which of the following?
increased adversarial oversight by the media
Which of the following is correlated with increasingly consistent ideological thinking?
increased education
Persuasion works best under which of the following circumstances?
individuals lack knowledge of the subject
Which of the following could be considered an advantage of infotainment?
it attracts audiences who otherwise wouldn't follow politics
Which of the following is true of the Holocaust question in the 1922 American Jewish Committee poll?
it used a double negative, leading some respondents to reply that the Holocaust may have never happened
What was the main problem associated with the polling methods of the Literary Digest?
its respondents were not randomly selected
When thinking about the role of public opinion in the democratic process, what do most citizens believe?
lawmakers should follow the public's will, even if it runs counter to their own best judgment
what impact did "muckraking" have on the political climate?
led to widespread discontent with political corruption
individuals with more political knowledge are considered to be which of the following?
less likely to accept media messages that contradict their ideology
A majority of Americans rely on which of the following for breaking news?
local television
which of the following identifies two key elements of ethical media behavior?
minimize harm and be accountable
According to this essay, which of the following is a likely result of corporate consolidation of the media?
more profit for corporate interests
What does Figure 1 indicate about public perception of media bias?
most conservatives think that media are too liberal
Philip Converse's 1964 study revealed which of the following about the electorate?
most voter's attitudes about issues are not consistent
According to the text, on which issues did the media prime the public in the run-up to the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections?
national security and the economic recession
Based on Table 1, Roosevelt supporters were most likely to own which of the following?
neither a car nor a phone
What is selective exposure?
news consumers choosing media outlets that confirm their preexisting views
What role does the media play in setting the political agenda?
news outlets choose which stories receive public attention
Can you conclude from Figure 2 that younger Americans (aged 18-29) prefer the internet as their main source for news?
no
According to former president Barack Obama, what is the problem with the media ecosystem?
no one agrees on the facts
Approximately what percentage of young voters identify with the same political party as their parents?
over 50 percent
Which of the following offers a reason why government leaders SHOULD pay attention to public opinion?
people lose trust in government when their leaders fail to adequately represent their public opinion
According to the text, what is attitude consistency?
political opinions founded on a set of principles about the function of government
What is the process through which we form our political values called?
political socialization
Which of the following offers a reason why government leaders SHOULD NOT pay attention to public opinion?
polling organizations do not always conduct meaningful surveys
What political ideology is concerned primarily with the well-being of ordinary people?
populism
What is priming?
press coverage of an issue influencing the way people think about related issues
what is the primary motivation of American media outlets?
profits driven by market forces
The addition of independent editors to the newspaper industry allowed for more stories based on which of the following?
quality
Journalists are trained to pursue which of the following goals?
reflecting impartiality in news stories
According to the text, what is the key to proper public opinion studies?
scientific measurement
Which of the following groups is more likely to identify with conservative positions?
senior citizens
The Society of Professional Journalists formed in response to which of the following?
sensationalism in the media
Which political ideology is associated primarily associated with the Republican Party today?
social conservatism
Which political ideology places a particular value on traditional religious beliefs and practices?
social conservatism
Based on the essay, what may occur as a consequence of sampling error?
survey participants will not be representative of the broader population
According to the information presented in Figure 2, which of the following sources of news is most preferred by Americans?
television
What was the first newspaper to be continuously published in the United States?
the Boston Newsletter
Despite growing public support for nuclear power, what event led the federal government to approve fewer new reactors in the United States in the early 2010s?
the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
Which of the following encouraged Anglo Americans to populate the Texas territory in large numbers?
the Mexican government's empresario policy
The stock market collapse of September 2008 and subsequent events provide an example of which of the following?
the complicated relationship between members of Congress and the public
According to the text, which of the following affects the persuasiveness of the message?
the credibility of the source
Which political group dominated elections at all levels in Texas for nearly a century following Reconstruction?
the democratic party
Calls for journalistic reform in the early 20th century led to which of the following?
the establishment of journalism schools
The publication of both the Federalist papers and anti-federalist essays in newspapers reflected which of the following developments?
the growing influence of political parties
Which of the following is true of Texas's population growth?
the increasing share of the population made up of ethnic minorities is posed to alter a political culture historically dominated by Anglos
Which of the following statements best describes the trend in Americans' main source for news?
the percentage of Americans who consider the internet their main source for news has increased over time
What happened when public opinion in Texas began to show more tolerance of same-sex relationships?
the polling results were greeted with surprise and skepticism
Why might corporate consolidation lead to more channels, but less choice?
the profit incentive encourages to cut costs by offering similar types of shows
What did the 2001 Kaiser / Public Perspective survey reveal?
the public does not have a strong understanding of polling practices
Which of the following tend to be the most liberal in regard to social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage?
the religiously unaffiliated
How has the profit incentive of corporate news ownership contributed to the rise in partisan media?
the rise in available entertainment television programming means that news channels can offer a particular partisan slant in their news offerings to loyal "niche" audiences
Which of the following describes classical liberalism?
the valuing of political arrangements that permit the fullest exercise of individual liberty without unreasonably restricting the liberties of others
What is Political Socialization?
the way that people acquire beliefs, values, and habits of thought and action related to government, politics, and society
A margin of error of +/- 5 in an exit poll would indicate which of the following?
the winner's actual vote percentage could be 5 percentage points higher or lower than the predicted poll
Which of the following statements accurately describes how many Americans when they consider polling practices?
they believe randomly selected samples lead to inaccurate conclusions
Why do elected leaders and other political actors use elements of political culture to assist them in their efforts?
they can use political culture to influence voters
Which of the following is TRUE of indigenous groups in early Texas history?
they consisted of a range of subgroups and cultures, which makes it difficult to generalize their contributions to Texas politics
Which of the following identifies one of the benefits of news aggregators?
they expand the audience for both old and new media outlets
How do social news aggregators work?
they generate lists based on the popularity of certain news items among all users
What does confirmation bias tell us about consumers of news?
they like to receive information that supports their preexisting beliefs
What happened to the approval ratings of President George W. Bush?
they peaked in late 2001 and then generally declined
What role do public schools play in the process of political socialization?
they teach political history and promote patriotism and civic engagement
What role do religious agents play in the process of political socialization?
they tend to reproduce society's core values
Most Americans hold which of the following views on the use of public opinion polls?
they think government leaders should pay attention to public opinion
Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding African Americans in early Texas history?
they were involved in Reconstruction politics and helped shape the current state constitution
Why have Texans adopted a "low taxes, low services" approach to government?
this approach has developed out of Texan's balance among classical liberalism, social conservatism, and populism
How is public opinion measured?
through scientifically designed surveys known as public opinion polls
In what ways do parents usually influence their children's political socialization?
through subtle comments and body language regarding different actors and influences in society
Which of the following factors (among others) might account for the results of many public opinion surveys?
timing and context of the studies
What was the purpose of the Fairness Doctrine?
to promote balanced coverage of public issues
What is the most effective way to ensure that a study reflects the opinions of the general population?
use random sampling
Which group is likely to be overrepresented by choosing a survey sample from among car owners and people listed in telephone books during the 1930s?
wealthy voters
According to the essay, when does measurement error occur?
when respondent's answers to the questions deviate from their own attitudes
Which of the following is true of public opinion?
when survey researches measure an attitude, they are really measuring an individual's predisposition and information
What is the main concern of the WBTV producer, Josh, regarding the story pitched by Sarah Batista
whether it has any real news value
Based on the list above, which of the following questions would be the LEAST helpful to ask when evaluating the trustworthiness of polling information?
who asked the questions?
Which of the following conditions that resulted from the Telecommunications Act of 1996 does the author content may be a problem but appears to only occur rarely?
A new's channel's parent company may squash a news story if the story paints the parent company in an unfavorable light
Which of the following is an accurate statement about congressional job approval?
American's attitudes toward Congress are often informed by partisanship
Which ethnic group experienced the slowest population growth rate in Texas from 2010 to 2018?
Anglos
