Chapter 6: Public Opinion (Inquizitive)
The following graph compares the levels of Americans who describe themselves as conservative, liberal, or moderate over time. Based on the information in the graph, which statements are correct and incorrect regarding the nature of ideological polarization in the electorate?
Correct Ans: - More individuals identify as moderate than anything else. - Ideological polarization is low. Incorrect Ans: - Ideological polarization is high. - People are far more conservative now than they were previously.
Which of the following statements about considerations are correct?
Correct Ans: - Some of the most important considerations are citizens' partisanship and religious beliefs. - One set of considerations can contradict another set of considerations. Incorrect Ans: - Considerations tend to be uninfluenced by political events. - By drawing on considerations, people are able to articulate stable policy positions.
Which of the following statements articulate why public opinion matters?
Correct Ans: - Understanding public opinion helps us understand the behavior of politicians. - Citizens' political actions are driven by their opinions. Incorrect Ans: - Government policy always reflects shifts in public opinion.
Why has Congress failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, enact immigration reform, or limit ownership of handguns?
Correct Ans: - a lack of public consensus on each issue Incorrect Ans: - members of Congress being too concerned about what's best for their party - willful ignorance of public opinion
Which kind of events can influence an individual's beliefs?
Correct Ans: - attaining a college degree - changes in the economy - a presidential election - political scandals
When someone is asked for an opinion on a question they haven't thought much about, they tend to
Correct Ans: - base their responses on a set of general considerations. Incorrect Ans: - pick randomly among the survey responses. - manage to offer well-thought-out answers. - refuse to answer the survey question.
Which of the following aspects of socialization are likely to shape political opinions?
Correct Ans: - discussing politics with one's parents - growing up in a homogeneous community - taking a civics class in high school - participating in a political campaign
Which of the following elements do pollsters have to consider before conducting a poll that will forecast the election?
Correct Ans: - the sample size - ability to randomly select respondents - wording of survey questions Incorrect Ans: - ensuring that respondents give socially desirable answers
The following graphic compares Americans' beliefs over time about whether or not the government is wasteful and inefficient or is run for the benefit of all people. Based on the data, which of the following statements about people's trust in government are accurate?
Correct Ans: - A minority of people think that the government is run for the benefit of all people. - A majority of people think that the government is usually wasteful and inefficient. Incorrect Ans: - A minority of people think that the government is usually wasteful and inefficient. - A majority of people think that the government is run for the benefit of all people.
Which of the following components can drive how individuals feel about an issue such as gun control?
Correct Ans: - their political background - their political ideology - their general tolerance of government regulation - political events involving guns
Which of the following factors can influence political attitudes?
Correct Answer(s) - important events - socialization - politicians
The sampling error or margin of error is determined by the size of the sample
True
Given the importance of political environment in shaping political views, which policy area below might someone feel is more important if they grew up during the war on terror?
domestic security
If you give an opinion on a topic that you haven't thought much about, what kind of opinion are you offering?
latent opinion
Which ideology is most common in America today?
moderate
Which statement accurately reflects the nature of American public opinion?
- Most people have a range of opinions-some are well formed, and others are formed on the spot
What is policy mood?
- The extent to which the public wants gov action on a specific issues
Which of the following is the best definition of political socialization?
- The process through which political beliefs are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture
Which type of opinion is more likely to be chosen on the spot as opposed to being stable over time?
- an opinion about whether the capital gains tax should be increased
Liberal or conservative ideology is typically formed _____ in life. Over time, it is relatively ____.
- early - stable
Based on the infographic, we would conclude that using a ______ sample, along with several other key decisions, made ________ results more reliable.
- fully random - Pew Research Center's
Government policy _______ to public opinion; public opinion ______ to government policy.
- responds - responds
In general, Americans tend to be _____ with their member of Congress while giving ____ approval ratings of Congress as a whole.
- satisfied - low
In a scientific poll, what sample size is generally sufficient for accurately measuring national public opinion?
1000
What is the relationship between policy mood and domestic policies?
Activist policy mood - expansion of government Conservative policy mood - contraction of government
Watch the animation, and then answer the following question. Which of the following reasons explain why Pew's prediction of the general election out-predicted Rasmussen's?
Correct Ans: - Rasmussen used a computer script. - Rasmussen did not have a sufficiently random sample. Incorrect Ans: - Rasmussen did not adjust their results. - Rasmussen did not have a large enough sample.
Study the table, and then answer the following question. Which of the following statements are correct regarding the relationship between group identity and attitudes on the issue of abortion?
Correct Ans: - Respondents' education strongly predicts feelings on whether or not abortions for any reason are OK. - Respondents with the highest level of income are more supportive of abortion for any reason than respondents with the lowest level of income. Incorrect Ans: - Younger respondents are less supportive of abortions for any reason than older respondents. - Respondents' gender strongly predicts feelings on whether or not abortions for any reason are OK.
This chart tracks the level of trust Americans have in government (the orange line) over time. Study the chart, and then answer the following question. Which of the following statements are correct regarding Americans' trust in government?
Correct Ans: - American trust in government decreases when the economy is doing poorly. - Americans' trust in government was declining before the Watergate scandal. Incorrect Ans: - Today the majority of individuals trust in the government. - Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal ruined Americans' trust in government.
Suppose that an October 2020 election poll of 1,000 people indicated that 49 percent of voters favored Joe Biden and 51 percent of voters favored Donald Trump, with a 2 percent margin of error. Given this information, which of the following statements could be true?
Correct Ans: - At that time, 50 percent of the population supported Biden and 50 percent supported Trump. - At that time, 51 percent of the population supported Biden and 49 percent supported Trump. Incorrect Ans: - At that time, 53 percent of the population supported Biden and 47 percent supported Trump. - At that time, 45 percent of the population supported Biden and 55 percent supported Trump.
How does a person's level of interest in politics influence their opinions on politics?
Correct Ans: - More interested people tend to have more preformed opinions about politics. Incorrect Ans: - More interested people are typically better able to explain their reasons for being liberal or conservative. - More interested people tend to be more liberal. - More interested people tend to be more Republican.
Which of the following are true about latent opinions?
Correct Ans: - Most Americans' political views are latent opinions. - These opinions are constructed as needed. Incorrect Ans: - They are more likely to be held by conservatives than moderates. - They reflect deeply held beliefs.
Which statements best describe how people form opinions on specific political issues?
Correct Ans: - Most people form opinions on the spot. - Most people rely on a wide range of considerations to form opinions. Incorrect Ans: - Most people rely on only one or two considerations when forming opinions. - Most people have preformed opinions.
Which of the following are ways that social groups shape opinions?
Correct Ans: - People rely on those who "look like" them as a source of opinion. - People learn about politics from the people around them. - Candidates tend to formulate their campaign strategies in terms of political groups.
Which of the following reasons can explain why voters give unreliable answers to survey questions?
Correct Ans: - People tend not to think about political issues before being asked. - People may be influenced by the political discourse of journalists and politicians. - People may be conflicted on the issue. - People may be unwilling to admit they do not know much about an issue.
According to the graphic, which of the following are ways in which error can be introduced into the surveying process?
Correct Ans: - Questions are not worded neutrally. - People are selected in a non-random manner. - Respondents answer the way they think they are supposed to, rather than answering honestly. Incorrect Ans: - The random sample size is too large.
In public-opinion polling, what is a random sample?
Each person within the specified population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent
Because cell phone usage is so widespread, polling people who use landlines is an effective way of getting a random sample.
False
Why does opinion intensity matter?
If a majority is not particularly intense in its view, then it is possible that the intensely held minority view might become policy instead
Which of the following statements about surveys and samples is correct?
It is possible to estimate the country's opinion based on a small sample of 1,000 to 1,200 people
Which statement best characterizes the issue positions favored by most American citizens?
Most favor a mix of liberal and conservative issue positions
Analyze the table, and then answer the following question. Given survey respondents' varying answers to the same basic question as shown in this table, what should we conclude about surveys?
Small differences in survey wording can have big differences in results
Given that politicians, journalists, and political scientists try to find out what the American people think, it is evident that
public opinion is relevant to American politics
If survey respondents are hiding their true preferences about race from the interviewer, what is the survey suffering from?
the social desirability bias
On which issue is an average American most likely to give an accurate opinion?
the state of the economy
When political actors discuss an issue that the voter is unfamiliar with, the voter takes account of the expert's opinions only if
the voter generally agrees with the expert