By the People Ch 6

Sampling Frame

A designated group of people from whom a set of poll respondents is randomly selected.

Push Poll

A form of negative campaigning that masquerades as a regular opinion survey. Usually conducted by a campaign or allied group; features strongly critical or unflattering information about an opponent.

Approval Rating

A measure of public support for a political figure or institution.

Voter Turnout

A measure of what proportion of eligible voters actually cast a legitimate ballot in a given election.

Executive Order

A presidential declaration, with the force of law, that issues instructions to the executive branch w/o any requirement for congressional action or approval.

Civic Voluntarism

Citizen participation in public life without government incentives or coercion (speaking at a town meeting, vs. paying taxes, for example).

Political Mobilization

Efforts to encourage people to engage in the public sphere: to vote for a particular candidate (and donate money, work on the campaign, etc.) or to get involved in specific issues.

Political Voice

Exercising one's public rights, often through speaking out in protest or in favor of some policy change.

Paradox of Voting

For most individuals, the cost of voting (acquiring necessary information, traveling to polling site, and waiting in line) outweighs the apparent benefits. Economic theory would predict very low voter turnout, given the analysis.

Political Elites

Individuals who control significant wealth, status, power, or visibility and who, consequently, have significant influence over public debates.

Issue Advocacy

Organized effort to advance (or block) a proposed public policy change.

Motor Voter Law

Passed in 1993, this act enables prospective voters to register when they receive their driver's license.

Gender Gap

Patterned differences in political opinions b/w women and men.

Demographic Group

People sharing specific factors; for example, age, ethnicity/race, religion, or country of origin.

Likely Voters

Persons identified as probable voters in an upcoming election. Often preferred by polling organizations, but difficult to specify with great accuracy.

Mandate

Political authority claimed by an election winner as reflecting the approval of the people.

Electoral Activities

Public engagement in the form of voting, running for office, volunteering on a campaign or otherwise participating in elections.

Social Capital

Relations b/w people that build closer ties of trust and civic engagement, yielding productive benefits for the larger society.

Circle of Nonparticipation

Resistance by political parties to mobilizing disengaged Americans to vote -- because their lack of involvement makes their allegiances to one or the other party suspect.

Din

Shorthand for the sheer volume of information and noise generated by online sources; can be a disincentive to participate politically.

Underdog Effect

Sympathy for a candidate behind in the polls, contributing to a higher-than-predicted vote total -- and sometimes a surprise election victory.

Bandwagon Effect

Tendency of undecided voters to support the candidate who is leading in the polls.

Boomerang Effect

The discrepancy b/w candidates' high poll ratings and election performance, caused by supporters' assumption that an easy win means they need not turn out.

Digital Divide

The gap b/w those with ready access to the internet and those without.

Framing Effects

The influence, on the respondent, of how a polling question is asked; changes in wording can significantly alter many people's answer.

Policy Agenda

The issues that the public considers important, the media covers, and politicians discuss. Setting the agenda is the first step in political action.

Nonattitudes

The lack of a stable perspective in response to opinion surveys; answers to questions may be self contradictory or may display no ideological consistency.

Response Bias

The tendency of poll respondents to misstate their views, frequently to avoid "shameful" opinions like sexism or racism.

Margin of Sampling Error

the degree of inaccuracy in a poll, arising from the fact that surveys involve a sample of respondents from a population, rather than every member.