Pols 1101 Test #2

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between public opinion and government policy?

Although there is no one-to-one correlation between public opinion and government policy, shifts in public opinion on particular issues frequently lead to changes in government policy.

Which of the following statements about agencies of socialization is correct?

An individual's religion has a significant effect on his or her political views.

bandwagon effect

If a person supports a candidate because he or she is the front-runner in a poll, is an example of

A political ideology is best defined as

a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the government.

The difference between a political value and a political attitude is that values are

basic principles, while attitudes are specific preferences.

The term public opinion is used to describe

beliefs and attitudes toward different issues, events, and people.

Libertarianism is a political ideology that

emphasizes freedom and voluntary association with small government.

A wealthy businessperson who is very liberal is an example of the

fact that group memberships never fully explain all of an individual's political views.

Which of the following terms describe America's fundamental political values?

liberty, equality of opportunity, and democracy

The fact that survey respondents overreport voting in elections and the frequency of their church attendance is an example of the ________ effect.

social desirability

In international affairs, conservatism has come to mean

support for military intervention and the maintenance of American military power.

________ is the most important core value of liberalism.

Equality

Why does the marketplace of ideas often have a moderating effect on people's opinions?

Given constant exposure to other people's ideas, it is almost impossible for one not to modify one's own viewpoints.

Which of the following statements about public opinion in America is most accurate?

Citizens with high levels of knowledge are generally better able to evaluate new information to determine its relevancy to their beliefs.

In the 2012 presidential election, Gallup surveys significantly overestimated

Latino support for Mitt Romney.

_______ is the core political value most highly prioritized by American conservatives.

Liberty

Which of the following statements is true about the forces that shape public opinion?

Presidents often attempt to influence public support for the policies they are promoting.

_______ is one of the most important mechanisms for promoting equality of opportunity.

Public education

Which of the following statements about the ideological preferences of Americans is true?

The percentage of Americans who consider themselves moderates, liberals, or conservatives has remained relatively constant for the past 15 years.

What is the "gender gap"?

differences in political opinions between men and women

Research into public opinion and public policy has shown that

more affluent and more educated citizens have a disproportionate influence over politics and public policy decisions.

In public-opinion surveys, a sample of the total population

must be representative in that the views of those in the sample must accurately and proportionately reflect the views of the whole population.

Liberalism and conservatism are examples of

political ideologies

The process by which political values are formed is known as

political socialization

A frequent cause of measurement error in polls is due to

poorly worded questions.

Pollsters use random digit dialing to gather national samples for surveys because

there is not a complete list of all Americans that can be used to identify the population.