Chapter 11 - Public Opinion (Measuring Americans' Opinions)

Sample

A group of individuals from a larger population used to measure public opinion

Random Selection

A method of choosing all poll respondents in a way that does not over-or underrepresent any group of the population - Ex.) Senior class is 2,000: You don't need to have all 2,000 in the poll - CHOOSE RANDOMLY

Entrance Survey

A poll conducted of people coming to an event

~ Push Polling

A polling technique in which the questions are designed to shape the respondent's opinion - Ex.) 2000 South Carolina Republican Primary: "Would you be more or less likely to vote for John McCain... if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?"

Weighting

A procedure in which the survey is adjusted according to the demographics of the larger population

Scientific Poll

A representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size, using neutral language

Representative Sample

A sample that reflects the demographics of the larger population

Focus Group

A small group of individuals assembled for a conversation about specific issues

Exit Poll

A survey conducted outside of a polling place in which individuals are asked who or what they just voted for and why - Demographics

Mass Survey

A survey designed to measure the opinions of the population, usually consisting of 1,500 responses

Tracking Poll

A survey determining the level of support for a candidate or an issue throughout a campaign

Benchmark Poll

A survey taken at the beginning of a political campaign in order to gauge support for a candidate and determine which issues are important to voters

~ Public Opinion Poll

Interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population - Issues: Biased Questions, Sampling Error, Bandwagon Effect, Underdog Effect - ALL polls are biased; still, they can be useful

~ Stratified/Weighted Sample

Making sure demographic groups are properly represented in a sample

~ Question Bias

The ability of a question's wording or format to influence respondents' answers

Sampling Error

The margin of error in a poll, which usually is calculated to plus or minus three percentage points

Question Wording

The phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll

Question Order

The sequencing of questions in public opinion polls

~ Margin Of Error

The smaller the margin, the better. A margin of error of plus or minus 4 is considered acceptable

Public Opinion

The sum of individual attitudes or beliefs about an issue or question in government, policies, and issues. - Measured by interviews and surveys: Polls

Random Digit Dialing

The use for telephone numbers randomly generated by computer to select potential survey respondents

~ Straw Polls

Unscientific surveys used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues and policies - Ex.) Iowa State Fair - Corn Kernels