GOV chapter 6

Hispanics comprise approximately what percent of the American population?

13 percent

In public opinion polling a sample as small as about ___ people can faithfully represent the universe of Americans

1500

The first census in the US was conducted in

1790

Approximately what percentage of African Americans live below the poverty line

25

In 1980 about what percentage of the american public thought the could trust government most of the time or always

25 percent

Approximately what percent of Asian Americans hold a college degree

49

A random sample of 1500-2000 respondents will produce results far off the mark about ___ of the time

5 percent

The term minority majority refers to the fact that

America will soon cease to have a white majority and together the minority groups will become a majority 1

Which of the following states has increased its representation in the House from just seven in 1900 to 53 today

California

Public opinion polling was first begun in 1932 by

George Gallup

The largest component of the minority majority is the

Hispanic population

The 2000 census indicated that the largest minority population is comprised of

Hispanics

The largest racial/ethnic minority group in the US is

Hispanics

The most recent wave of immigration since World War II has consisted primarily of

Hispanics and Asians

Which of the following statements is false e

Hispanics are primarily concentrated in the rural areas

The most liberal religious groups in America are

Jews

Which of the following statements about the American people is false

Most americans view cultural diversity as one of the least appealing aspects of their society

The worst off of Americas minority groups are

Native Americans

___ is the distribution of the populations beliefs about politics and policy issues

Public opinion

___ occurs, after every census to reallocate the 435 seats in the US house of representatives, reflecting shifts in the population of the states and thus how many seas each state is allotted

Reapportionment

The ___ Act required that as of 1987 employers document the citizenship or legal immigrant status of their employees, or face substantial criminal penalties for failing to of so

Simpson mazzoli

A political ideology is

a coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy

Unlike Hispanics who have come to America to escape poverty, the recent influx of Asians has been driven by

a new class of professionals looking for greater opportunity

Poll results can vary widely if

a question is altered, even slightly.

In general, liberal ideology supports

a strong central government that sets policies to promote equality

African Americans comprise what proportion of the American population

about 12 percent

Conservatives would tend to favor each of the following EXCEPT

affirmative action

Native Americans tend to be

all of the above

public opinion polls are only estimates because

all surveys have a sampling error

For ________, voting places are randomly selected around the country, and interviewers ask every tenth person how they voted.

an exit poll

Political culture refers to

an overall set of values widely shared within a society

Compared to men, women are more likely to

both A and B

in 2000 exit polls received much of the blame for the medias inaccurate call of the Florida result, but blame could also be placed on

both A and B

A disadvantage of telephone public opinion surveys is

both B and C

Most polling today is done

by phone

Reapportionment

can dramatically shift political power between the regions

The most valuable method for understanding demographic changes in America is the

census

Since the 1960s Americans trust in government has

decreased

According to Marc Hetherington, what is the largest impact of declining political trust?

decreased support for programs that address poverty and racial inequality

The science of population changes is

demography

The science of population changes is called

demography

Public opinion analysts agree that the level of public knowledge about politics is

dismally low

Public opinion polls weaken democracy by

drowning out election issues with a steady flood of poll results

Random sampling in public opinion polling operates on the principle that

everyone should have an equal probability of being selected

According to the classic study, the American Voter, done in the 1950s most Americans fell into the category of

group benefits voters

The American Voter study on ideological sophistication among voters in the 1950s showed that a plurality of Americans were

group benefits voters

As one becomes more socialized with age, one's political orientations

grow firmer

The American Voter study on ideological sophistication among voters in the 1950s showed that only a small percentage of Americans

had a coherent political ideology

Sampling error describes

how close a sample estimate is to the real population value

According to the text public opinion polls are

important because policymakers can keep in touch with changing opinions on the issues.

Over the last fifty years much of Americaʹs population growth has occurred

in the West and South

Concerns about reliance of pollsters on telephone surveys have recently been caused bu

increased use of cell phones

Critics of polling think

it makes politicians more concerned with following than leading.

One can predict how the majority of young people will vote simply by

knowing the political leaning of their parents

A political figure who is in favor increased military spending, supported freedom of choice on abortion, opposed affirmative action programs, wanted to tax the rich more, and felt the courts should stop coddling criminals is a

mixture of liberal and conservative

Which of the following is NOT true about exit polls

most people are contacts by the random digit dialing method

The least healthy, the poorest, and the least educated group in the American mosaic are the

native American Indians

the least healthy, poorest, and least educated racial/ethinic group in the US is

native americans

According to the categories used in the classic study, the america voter, this who voted for a party out of routine or judged candidates strictly by their personalities were classified as

no issue content voters

Liberals tend to

none of the above

The familys role in political socialization is central because

of its monopoly on time and emotional commitment

An exit poll is taken

on election day, by interviewing voters as they leave the polling place.

Public opinions polls have shown that

people are more likely to recognize slogans from TV commercials than famous political figures

A ___ is coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy

political ideology

One of the effects of growing older on political learning and political behavior is that

political participation increases with age

Governments throughout the world use the schools to help with the ________ of young people.

political socialization

The process through which an individual acquires his or her particular political orientations including his or her knowledge, feelings and evaluations regarding his or her political world is known as

political socialization

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of modern polling

polls are subject to very wide margins of error yet are treated as accurate measurements of public opinion

Which of the following statements about public opinion polling is FALSE

public opinion polling is a uniquely American phenomenon

Following the 1964 election

public trust in government dropped significantly

Samples of public opinion today are usually selected through

random digit dialing

Today, most polling is done through

random digit dialing

The key to the accuracy of public opinion polls is

random sampling

Demographic changes in the United States population could translate to political consequences through the process of

reapportionment

The Simpson Mazola act

represented a crackdown on illegal aliens by requiring that employers document the citizenship or legitimate immigrant status of workers or pay stiff fines

The Simpson Mazzoli Act

required employers to document the citizenship of their employees

A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen as representative of the whole is called a(n)

sample

Because it would be prohibitively expensive to ask every citizen his or her opinion on a whole range of issues, polls rely on what is called a(n) ________ of the population.

sample

The level of confidence about a public opinion poll is referred to as

sampling error

The most obvious intrusion of the government into America's socialization is through

schooling

The term gender gap refers to

stable pattern where women tend to be more likely than men to vote Democratic.

By constitutional requirement, the government conducts the United States Census every

ten years

The US Constitution requires that government conduct an "actual enumeration" of the population every

ten years

between 1990 and 2000

the Sunbelt continued to experience rapid population growth

According to Russell Neuman, the paradox of mass politics is that the American political system works as well as it does given

the discomforting lack of public knowledge about politics

Public opinion is defined in the text as

the distribution of the populations believes about politics and policy

Reapportionment occurs after every census to reallocate seats in

the house of representatives

Random sampling is considered

the key to the accuracy of opinion polls.

If public opinion analysts agree about anything it is that

the level of public knowledge about politics is dismally low

According to many observers, "the new parent" in the socialization process has become

the mass media

Political socialization is defined as

the process through which an individual acquires his or her particular political orientations

A pollster using a representative sample of 1500 Americans finds that 52 percent support candidate X and 48 percent support candidate Y. The posters conclusion should be that

the race is too close to call because of a possible sampling error

The 1936 Literary digest poll underestimated the vote for FDR by 19 percent because

the sample was drawn from a telephone books and motor vehicle records

An issue that became controversial regarding the 1990 census was

the undercount of minority groups

Which of the following is TRUE about most liberals in American politics

they believe we should guard carefully the rights of defendants in criminal cases

Which of the following is TRUE of most conservatives in American politics

they favor free market solutions to problems rather than looking to the government for regulating business

In 1936 the Literary Digest wrongly predicted the defeat of President FDR having polled over 2 million people. the problem was

they polled too many people who were not an accurate representation of the American electorate

nationwide the fastest growing age group is composed of

those over 65 years old

Historically disadvantaged groups tend to

vote Democratic

Both authoritarian and democratic political systems seek to teach citizens, especially youth, the positive aspects of their political systems because

youth will then grow up to be supportive citizens