AM Gov : The Formation of the Public Opinion

Why is it hard to create an accurate sample?

People often belong to more than one category

Name at least three ways in which public opinion can be expressed.

Radio, magazines, and newspapers

Who invented the gallup polls?

George Gallup

Besides education and family, what forces help influence public opinion in American society?

1. the mass media 2. peer groups 3. opinion leaders 4. historic events.

What events happened in the 60s and 70s? What did they cause?

1960s- the nation was shaken and divided by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. 1970s- the Watergate scandal and the resignation of President Nixon. The events caused many American to lose respect and trust of their government.

How many Americans go online on a daily basis?

2/3

Why is public opinion in the US typically divided?

Because any given public issue is likely to have separate groups with their own point of view. People also disagree about which public issues are important.

How do parents influence public opinion?

Children tend to favor the political party supported in their household in which they were raised.

What factors limit the impact of the mass media on American politics?

Few people follow international, national, or even local political events closely, Democrats don't watch/read what republicans have to say - vice versa.. also the content that the media covers.

What does public opinion consists of?

It consists of those attitudes publicly expressed by a large number of people about matters of government and politics.

What's an opinion leader?

Many opinion leaders hold public office, while others are journalists or prominent members of society.

Whats the relationship between mass media and the government in the US?

Mass media in the United States are independent of government control

What are the limits on polls and what are they best used for?

Minority interests must be protected against the excesses of majority views and actions. They're best at focusing attention on public questions and stimulation discussion of them.

How are most polls conducted today?

Most are telephone surveys.

Which national networks dominate early news?

NBC, CBS, ABC

What are public affairs?

Public affairs include events and issues involving politics, public issues, and the making of public policies. Ex: political parties, candidates, taxes, unemployment, national defense, foreign policy

What is public opinion, and what factors help to shape it?

Public opinion consists of the attitudes held by a significant number of people about public affairs—matters of government and politics. It is shaped by family, school, race, occupation, gender, mass media, peer groups, opinion leaders, and historic events.

How is public opinion measured and used?

Public opinion is measured by election results, personal contacts, media reporting, and especially by polls. The most common polls are straw polls, while the most accurate measures of public opinion are scientific polls. Officials use public opinion to guide their public policy decisions.

What are scientific polls? What are its five steps?

Scientific polls are more accurate. Scientific polls have five basic steps: Define the universe to be surveyed Construct a sample Prepare valid questions Select and control how the poll is taken

What is the most reliable means of measuring public opinion? Explain your answer

Scientific polls because they are the most accurate, they can select and control how the poll is taken and analyze and report the results. (i.e Gallup and Pew)

How does a straw vote differ from a scientific poll?

Straw polls try to measure public opinion by asking many people the same question. Scientific poll prepares a survey of valid questions, select and control how the poll is taken, and Analyze and report the results

What are straw polls?

Straw polls try to measure public opinion by asking many people the same questions, often by phone, email, or mail. Not reliable. For example, a straw poll during the Great Depression picked the wrong presidential winner because it overlooked the large number of poor people who voted.

What historic events have occurred in the 20th century that have helped shape public opinion and which political parties have they benefited?

The Great Depression U.S. economy which shifted popular support to the Democratic Party and persuading many Americans to support an increased role for the national government in U.S. economic and social life.

What is the impact of the mass media on the public agenda?

The media plays a key role in determining what policy issues the public thinks and talks about, by emphasizing some issues and stories while ignoring or downplaying others.

How is public opinion formed?

Through a process called political socialization. This begins in early childhood and involves the influence of many experiences and relationships. Two of these are family and school.

What magazines are key sources of political news and commentary?

Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report

pollsters use computers to what?

analyze and publish polling data.

Why does belonging to a peer group tends to reinforce what a person has already come to believe?

because peer group members share many socializing experiences and tend to be reluctant to disagree openly with others in their peer group.

When did radio become a major source of political news?

between 1920's and 1930's

How is public opinion best measured?

by polls that ask people questions, but scientific polling techniques are needed to get accurate results

For large groups, pollsters do what?

create a sample, or representative slice.

Wha is 1 reason radio remains influential today?

due to the convenience and popularity of talk radio

How do people express their opinions?

in e-mails, letters, phone calls, or public meetings

What is the mass media?

includes radio, television, magazines, and newspapers. More than 98 percent of the 115 million U.S. households have a television, and most are turned on for eight or more hours a day.

What is a universe?

it is the group whose opinions the poll tries to discover.

Most people gain their knowledge about government and politics from where?

mass media

what did TV replace as the principal source of American political info?

newspapers

What are 2 examples of characteristics that pollsters try to reflect by using a quota sample?

race and gender

Most national polls use how may people to represent the U.S. population?

random samples of 1,500 people to represent the U.S. population

What are the four major sources of political information in the United States?

television, radio, newspapers, and the internet.

Name two reasons for the decline in the number of daily newspapers in the United States.

the number of daily newspapers has been declining, as people turn to radio, TV, and the Internet for news.