Chapter 10.5- Public Opinion and Polling

Opinion Leaders

Any person who, for any reason, has an unusually strong influence on the views of others

Random Sample

Certain number of randomly selected people who live in a certain number of randomly selected places

Public Opinon

Complex collection of the opinions of many different people

Public Opinion Polls

Device that attempts to collect information by asking people questions

Pundits

Expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public

Mandate

Instructions or commands a constituency gives to its elected officials; comes from the Latin mandatum (command)

Mass Media

Means of communication that reach large audiences, especially television, radio, printed publications, and the Internet

Peer Group

People with whom one regularly associates, including friends, classmates, neighbors, and co-workers

Straw Vote

Poll that seeks to read the public's mind by asking the same question of a large number of people

Sample

Representative slice of the public

Universe

Term used in polling that refers to the whole population that the poll aims to measure

Public Affiars

Those events and issues that concern the people at large; for example, politics, public issues, and the making of public policies