Chapter 10 Public Opinion and Political Socialization

Which of the following statements accurately describes the influence of public opinion on public officials?

Inevitably, public opinion has influence on the actions of public officials and politicians.

Public opinion polls demonstrate that Americans are most likely to have opinions on policies that _____.

affect them personally

Today, members of Congress regularly survey the opinions of their constituents because they _____.

are all elected directly by the people

It is likely that polling companies support the pluralist theory of how democracy works because _____.

of their self-interest in promoting the need for more polling

Major shifts in public opinion in the United States generally translate into _____.

policy changes

With the complexity of public issues, it makes sense that the number of polls has been increasing because _____.

policy makers need to respond to changes in public opinions

Most public opinion samples are selected using _____.

random-digit dialing

Surveys by polling organizations that seek quick answers often ask questions with limited response options, for example, yes/no questions. These surveys may be flawed because

respondents cannot express how they really feel about an issue

The process of choosing a small group of people to interview in a survey is called _____.

sampling

It is most accurate to say that public opinion _____ policy.

shapes

Political _____ is the process through which people acquire information about politics and add it to their beliefs.

socialization

Although children get their first grounding in political values from their parents, as they grow older that influence wanes because the children _____.

spend more time with other people

Using census data to divide the country into regions, and then reducing the regions into further subcategories based on statistical analysis of voters, is referred to as _____.

stratified sampling

Simple random samplings are not very useful for predicting voting outcomes because they _____.

tend to undersample or oversample key populations

The Framers of the U.S. Constitution created _____ as they were skeptical of how public opinion could influence politics.

the Electoral College

Age is an important factor in how people view policy issues because _____.

the life experiences of people who grew up in separate eras are different

Young adults who live in the United States are likely to learn about politics mostly from _____.

the media

In a survey, random sampling gives each potential voter _____

the same chance of being selected for the survey

The biggest influence on the political views of high school students comes from _____.

their peers

Even the most reputable polling companies can end up with poll results that misrepresent the opinions of the public if _____.

their sample is inadequate

Although the Framers sought to blunt the power of the masses by putting the selection of senators in the hands of state legislatures, which they considered to be better able to choose, their judgement was ultimately overruled by the Seventeenth Amendment because state legislators _____.

turned out to be highly partisan in their choices

Internet polls can be reliable predictors of voting if they _____.

use standard sampling techniques and good question formation

Today's public opinion polls were developed in the _____.

1930s

If senators want to know what their constituents think about a particular issue, they would be best served to use which of the following instruments?

A poll based on a random sample of their constituency

People for whom the issue of abortion is of paramount importance _____.

have intense views on the matter

Which of these is one of the worries that scholars and survey professionals have in terms of undermining the validity of a survey?

Americans have become less willing to answer pollsters' questions because they do not want to be bothered on the telephone.

Which of these is an example of a social science study that relies on polls to collect data?

An American National Election Study

Which of the following would most likely cause inaccuracies in a poll?

Citizens lack interest in the issue being measured.

Which of the following are the first and last phases, respectively, in developing and implementing public opinion polls?

Determining the content; analyzing the data

Which of the following questions can be answered using a standard survey of nationwide public opinion?

Did the president's speech increase support for the health care bill?

On which of the following issues do women tend to have more liberal opinions than men?

Education

____ measures how much a young individual believes he/she can make a change in government.

Efficacy

Public opinion is often shaped by the information received by the public. Which is the most prevalent way that Americans get information about public issues?

Electronic media

_____ polls are polls of voters conducted on Election Day to try to predict outcomes before the votes are counted.

Exit

If a survey researcher interviews you immediately after you vote on Election Day, what type of poll are you participating in?

Exit poll

If your classmates are like most people, which of the following groups and institutions had the most influence on their political beliefs?

Family

In the United States, what is the most important factor in the socialization of children?

Family

Men and women are likely to disagree on some political issues. On which of these issues would they be most likely to agree?

More restrictions and control of people coming to our country

Which of these would influence the outcome of a poll?

Number of people being sampled

_____ believed the government needed to allow for minority opinions to be expressed.

Pluralists

Our earliest views of political matters usually come from parents as part of which process?

Political socialization

Which is a significant trend in polling?

Pollsters are increasingly using the Internet as more people are getting their information from Internet sources.

An exit poll is one that is performed as people leave their voting places on Election Day. In what way might exit polls be inaccurate?

Pollsters stop asking voters for their responses too early in the day

Which of the following is the most misleading type of poll?

Push poll

Which of the following characteristics would be of exceptional importance when studying the intensity of certain issues such as immigration?

Race

Through which of the following does the government attempt to teach patriotism and respect for democratic values?

School

Which of the following is a trait of a likely inaccurate poll?

Survey sample of 100 people

Which of the following would not be considered important opinion leaders in America, despite their access to an audience?

Teachers

What was one result of The Federalist Papers?

That public opinion influences public officials and their actions

Reliable opinion polls select people for interviews based on _____.

U.S. Census data

How do politicians typically view polling data?

The data are helpful because they let the politician know what issues are most important to their constituency at that specific time.

Which of the following places is the least likely for political socialization to take place?

The gym

Which of these is a reason why the public has become a more critical player in political policies in the last three decades?

The rise in regular polls and the data they provide give better insight into issues.

Why would an online survey of 2.000 visitors to a college's website be of little use in assessing the neighboring community's opinion about the location of a new athletic complex?

The sample is not representative of the community.

What concerns might you raise about an in-person election poll of 1.500 people leaving a baseball game?

The sample may not be representative of all potential voters

Which of the following characterizations usually applies to people who identify their religion as being strict Evangelical Christian?

They believe that abortion should be illegal in all cases.

On which of the following issues is public opinion likely to fluctuate because it is not a core value?

Views on a particular candidate

If your college administration wants to know more about students' opinions of the cafeteria food, they may do a survey of _____.

a random portion of students who eat in the cafeteria

If you were reading an article in Time magazine about public opinion on the president's proposal to increase estate tax, you should keep in mind that _____.

changes in question wording can make a big difference in the survey results

Hispanic voters are more likely to support_____.

clean water legislation

American National Election Studies (ANES) surveys, which are done frequently and ask respondents about who they voted for, their party affiliation, and their opinions of political parties and their candidates, help political science researchers _____.

compile long-term studies of the electorate

A(n) _____ poll will ask the public questions regarding political candidate strengths and weaknesses.

good

Accurate polls help guide policy makers as they express the attitudes of the _____.

electorate

Polls conducted by media outlets that ask people how they voted as they leave their polling places are know as _____.

exit polls

American public opinion on foreign policy is usually volatile and dependent on breaking information because _____.

foreign policy does not affect most Americans personally

Many high schools require students to take part in a service learning program to graduate. This type of program tends to increase political involvement later in life because it _____.

gets students active in learning the issues and being involved in their community

If the public_____ a particular political issue, then it is difficult to accurately gauge the public's attitude.

lacks information on

If you polled a random group of women and men about national issues, you would most likely find that the women are more concerned about _____ than are men.

making health care available to everyone

A child's peer group is most politically influential in _____.

middle school and high school

If potential candidates for office would like to know what percentage of the electorate knows about them, they might use a(n) _____.

name recognition survey