Government Chapter 11: Public Opinion

sampling error

a number that indicates within what range the results of a poll are accurate

exit polls

election-related questions asked of voters right after they vote

political generations

groups of citizens whose political views have been shaped by the common events of their youth

benchmark poll

initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared

tracking polls

ongoing series of surveys that follow changes in public opinion over time

opinion leaders

people who know more about certain topics than we do and whose advice we trust, seek out, and follow

push polls

polls that ask for reactions to hypothetical, often false, information in order to manipulate public opinion

straw polls

polls that attempt to determine who is ahead in a political race

random samples

samples chosen in such a way that any member of the population being polled has an equal chance of being selected

public opinion polls

scientific efforts to estimate what an entire group thinks about an issue by asking a smaller sample of the group for its opinion

on-line processing

the ability to receive and evaluate information as events happen, allowing us to remember our evaluation even if we have forgotten the specific events that caused it

public opinion

the collective attitudes and beliefs of individuals on one or more issues

sample bias

the effect of having a sample that does not represent all segments of the population

sample

the portion of the population that is selected to participate in a poll

spiral of silence

the process by which a majority opinion becomes exaggerated because minorities do not feel comfortable speaking out in opposition

two-step flow of information

the process by which citizens take their political cues from more and well-informed opinion leaders

political socialization

the process by which we learn our political orientations and allegiances

rational ignorance

the state of being uninformed about politics because of the cost in time and energy

marriage gap

the tendency for married people to hold political opinions that differ from those of people who have never been married

gender gap

the tendency of men and women to differ in their political views on some issues