CHAPTER 7: Public Opinion
Surveys in the late 1960s found that business and professional people had views similar to those of manual workers on a wide variety of issues. true or not
true
Surveys suggest women are more likely than men to support the idea of universal health care. true or not
true
The Democratic advantage among female voters is most obvious among younger women. true or not
true
The authors suggest that it is getting harder to do good polling. true or not
true
The elite typically cannot determine when an economic issue will come up on the national agenda. true or not
true
The gender gap in U.S. public opinion has existed for a long time. true or not
true
The more informed a person is about politics, the more likely he or she is to be ideologically consistent in his or her thought. true or not
true
The proportion of citizens who say they are either Democratic or Republican has declined in recent years. true or not
true
The text states that there are limits to the ability of national elites to influence public opinion true or not
true
The text suggests that it is increasingly more difficult to conduct reliable polling. true or not
true
We have recently learned that our genetic background explains much of our political ideology. true or not
true
Women generally voted less often than men until the 1980s. true or not
true
Younger people are more likely to support the idea of allowing citizens to invest some portion of their Social Security contributions in the stock market than older persons. true or not
true
Write an essay in which you discuss what we have learned over the years about the differences between men and women when it comes to political participation, opinions, and political preferences.
ANS: a. A gender gap has existed for some time. b. Women have generally supported Democratic candidates in recent elections. c. In part, the gap is obvious because men have forsaken the Democratic Party. d. Originally, women did not vote at high rates; today they are slightly more likely to vote than men. e. In some instances, opinions vary considerably (universal health care, same sex marriage, and so on).
Explain why the use of self-identification in surveys on political ideology is somewhat questionable.
ANS: a. Americans rarely use these words when speaking about themselves. b. Supposed inconsistencies in survey results may be the consequence of question wording, the evolution of issues, or the willingness of respondents to make practical tradeoffs. c. In some instances, survey responses will be affected by views of what is
What have studies on public opinion and voting revealed about the American public?
ANS: a. Early studies: Small group were informed; majority knew next to nothing. b. Later studies found that although many were poorly informed, they were good at using small amounts of information to determine which policies, parties, or candidates most nearly reflected their values and interests. c. Studies of specific issues reveal a similar pattern: Voters are able to form opinions when supplied with basic information just as the informed do.
Discuss the manner in which elite opinion influences (or is not likely to influence) public opinion.
ANS: a. Elites, especially those with access to the media, raise and frame political issues. b. Elites can also set the norms by which issues should be settled. c. Elites do not influence economic problems (even if they shape
Identify the contours of political socialization and cleavages in public opinion that are discussed in the chapter.
ANS: a. Genes and the Family b. Religion c. The Gender Gap d. Social Class e. Race and Ethnicity f. Region
Explain why political activists are much more likely to exhibit clear ideological consistency than the average member of the public.
ANS: a. Such persons generally have much higher levels of information and interest, which lead them to find relationships between issues. b. Such persons tend to socialize with those who share similar viewpoints.
18. Cleavages in public opinion are more common in the United States than in many other countries because the United States a. has a socially heterogeneous population. b. is a relatively classless society. c. has a high degree of religious freedom. d. places a high value on social equality. e. is more protective of freedom of press.
a
According to the text, one reason that identification with a party has declined in recent years is that a. young voters have weaker party identification. b. party identification today is no longer influenced by parents' party identification. c. today, there are more parties with which voters can identify. d. voters tend to lose their party identification as they grow older, and today's population is aging. e. party identification is increasingly seen as a sign of closed-mindedness.
a
An individual's choice of political philosophy today is most likely to be based on his or her a. position on social issues such as abortion or environmentalism. b. geographic region and socioeconomic class. c. position on economic issues such as taxation or minimum wage. d. gender. e. religious beliefs.
a
If any given voter has a chance of being in a survey, the sample is best described as a ________ sample. a. random b. stratified quota c. split d. two-stage e. bifurcated
a
In America, we often refer to political elites as a. activists. b. special interests. c. politicos. d. socialites. e. the ruling class.
a
Most blue-collar workers in Great Britain think of themselves as a. working-class. b. lower-class. c. middle-class. d. upper-class. e. elites.
a
One reason that public policy often differs from public opinion is that a. the U.S. Constitution places many checks on the influence of public opinion. b. public opinion polling tends to express the opinions of a political elite. c. public opinion is easy to gauge, whereas the effectiveness of public policy is not. d. public opinion tends to change much more slowly than public policy. e. public opinion is rarely informed at the beginning of the policymaking process.
a
The text suggests that our genetic background explains a. some of our political ideology. b. some of our party identification. c. some of our political socialization. d. some of our group memberships. e. none of the above.
a
Which groups of people were referred to as "red-diaper babies" by commentators in the 1960s? a. College radicals who were the children of radicals b. Republicans whose parents were communists c. Democrats who opposed the use of force in all circumstances d. High school students who supported the war in Vietnam e. Newspaper editors who were critical of Richard Nixon
a
Which of the following statements about the opinions of political elites is correct? a. They may shape economic policies, but they do not define economic problems. b. They may shape foreign affairs policies, but they do not define foreign affairs problems. c. They both define the problems and shape the policies on social issues such as crime and drugs. d. They tend to reflect the views of a single, unified elite. e. They tend to reflect the views of middle America.
a
During the 2008 primary season, pollsters made a series of errors that have since been attributed to a failure to a. identify the population correctly. b. obtain representative samples. c. utilize the correct statistical techniques. d. remove bias in the wording of questionnaires. e. shorten questionnaires to a reasonable length.
b
Economic issues are most likely to be placed on the public agenda by a. political elites. b. public opinion. c. economic analysts. d. regulatory commissions. e. economic theorists.
b
The Framers created a government for the purpose of a. unifying citizens. b. achieving certain substantive goals. c. efficiency in the administration of justice. d. accomplishing the will of the people. e. ensuring that the will of the majority would be realized.
b
When an individual's views are consistently conservative or liberal, we say that person is ideologically a. tuned. b. constrained. c. aligned. d. placed. e. sealed.
b
Compared with European countries such as Great Britain, France, and Germany, class voting in the United States has a. also risen sharply. b. remained relatively steady. c. also declined sharply. d. always been more common. e. increased slightly.
c
Exit polls are conducted a. just after a voter registers to vote. b. during the national conventions. c. on election day at polling places. d. after each presidential debate. e. when voters change their party identification.
c
Increasingly, pollsters a. do not even attempt to measure ideology. b. measure political ideology by self-identification. c. measure political ideology by looking for constraint. d. see political ideology as irrelevant to politics. e. research ideology in presidential, but not congressional, elections.
c
Most blue-collar workers in the United States think of themselves as a. working-class. b. lower-class. c. middle-class. d. upper-class. e. elites.
c
Most high school students share the same party identification as a. their peers. b. their teachers. c. their parents. d. their religious leaders. e. regional elites.
c
The surveys that were conducted in Cincinnati and nationally concerning the Monetary Control Act were significant because a. public opinion was deeply divided. b. public opinion unanimously condemned the legislation. c. many people expressed views about the legislation, which was entirely fictitious. d. the legislation was still pending. e. Congress had passed the legislation only two days before the surveys were conducted.
c
A typical public opinion poll today features about _____ respondents. a. three hundred b. five hundred c. one thousand d. fifteen hundred e. three thousand
d
Although early studies of American public opinion and voting found low information levels, they also found that Americans were pretty good at a. working the system to get the policies that they desired. b. contacting candidates on a regular basis. c. discussing complex political issues. d. employing cues to select policies, parties, and candidates that most nearly reflected their values and interests. e. explaining the workings of government and major currents in law.
d
One reason that political elites are more consistent in their ideological beliefs than the average citizen is that they are a. less influenced by peers. b. less influenced by factors such as religion and family. c. smarter. d. better informed. e. more influenced by religion.
d
Studies of opinion-policy congruence suggest that the rate at which the government adopts policies supported by majorities in polls has a. remained the same over the last four decades. b. slightly increased in recent years. c. increased significantly in recent years. d. been declining since 1980. e. been declining since the beginning of the Bush administration.
d
The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution lists all of the following goals of government except a. union. b. justice. c. liberty. d. democracy. e. tranquility.
d
The first major studies of public opinion and voting, published in the 1940s, found that a. most Americans were well informed about politics even though they did not vote regularly. b. most Americans voted regularly and were well informed about politics. c. a small group of Americans voted but were not well informed about politics. d. a small group of Americans were informed, but most Americans were not. e. it was difficult to generalize about Americans when it came to politics.
d
V. O. Key's classic research in the 1950s found that differences in public opinion were closely associated with a. ethnicity. b. race. c. gender. d. occupation. e. religion.
d
Which of the following statements regarding the voting habits of men and women is incorrect? a. Their voting reflects distinct differences in points of view. b. The gap that is evident between their points of view is not new. c. Men have forsaken the Democratic Party. d. Women have forsaken the Republican Party. e. None of the above.
d
Which of the following would political elites be least likely to raise as a new public issue? a. Acid rain b. Birth control and planned parenthood c. Disinvestment in South Africa d. Unemployment e. Racial discrimination
d
A coherent and consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue is referred to as a. political efficacy. b. public opinion. c. pragmatism. d. realism. e. political ideology.
e
A public opinion pollster might need to make as many as ________ phone calls just to get around one thousand respondents for a survey. a. two thousand b. four thousand c. six thousand d. ten thousand e. fifteen thousand
e
According to the text, African Americans are a. somewhat Republican. b. largely Republican. c. generally Independent. d. somewhat Democratic. e. overwhelming Democratic.
e
African Americans are more likely than whites to a. support affirmative action. b. think the criminal justice system is biased against them. c. to oppose the use of military force. d. to doubt that we should all be willing to fight for our country. e. All of the above.
e
Elites have probably influenced, if not led, public opinion on all of the following topics except a. racism. b. sexism. c. HIV/AIDS. d. environmentalism. e. perceptions of crime.
e
No Democratic candidate for president has won a majority of white southern votes since a. Bill Clinton b. Jimmy Carter c. John Kerry d. Al Gore e. Lyndon Johnson
e
Political activism is correlated most closely with a. political conservatism. b. libertarian politics. c. gender. d. class differentiation. e. ideological consistency.
e
Pollsters have to be concerned about ideological self-identification in polls because a. many Americans do not know what liberalism and conservatism mean. b. many Americans do not feel the need to be ideologically consistent. c. some respondents will hide what they think to be socially unacceptable self-identifications. d. the desire to hide self-identifications might inflate responses of "don't know" or "moderate." e. All of the above.
e
The general pattern of public opinion cleavages in this country has been a. horizontal, based on class. b. vertical, based on many variables. c. vertical on economic issues and horizontal on social issues. d. impossible to analyze clearly. e. crosscutting, based on many variables.
e
Which of the following statements is incorrect? a. Democratic members of Congress tend to be consistently liberal. b. Republican members of Congress tend to be consistently conservative. c. Democratic members of Congress tend to be more liberal than Democratic voters. d. Republican members of Congress tend to be more conservative than Republican voters. e. The policy preferences of Democratic and Republican voters are generally the same.
e
Early academic studies of public opinion found that voters were generally informed about issues and governmental processes. true or not
false
In polls, a majority of Americans usually identify themselves as "liberal." true or not
false
Most blue-collar workers in America think of themselves as "working class." true or not
false
Most young people think politics is highly relevant to their lives. true or not
false
Public opinion polls were especially accurate during the 2008 primary contests true or not
false
Public policy is invariably consistent with public opinion. true or not
false
Since 1952, polls have had a somewhat mixed record when it comes to predicting the winner of presidential elections. true or not
false
The Equal Rights Amendment was not ratified because most Americans opposed it. true or false
false
The Founders expected public opinion to be uniform. true or not
false
The proportion of citizens who claim to be independents has declined in recent years true or not
false
Women obtained the right to vote with the Eighteenth Amendment true or not
false
Younger people are generally less supportive of the idea of gay marriage than older persons. true or not
false
Younger voters tend to have a stronger sense of partisanship than older voters. true or not
false
A properly conducted poll can capture the opinion of the American public with about fifteen hundred respondents. true or not
true
Both blacks and whites oppose the idea of making abortion legal in all cases. true or not
true
Class voting has declined sharply in the United States, France, and Great Britain since the 1940s true or not
true
Concern for the environment is an example of an issue raised and defined by political elites. true or not
true
Contrary to the myth of the pandering politician, recent evidence suggests that the rate at which government adopts policies supported by majorities in polls has been declining. true or not
true
Elite opinion often defines problems and policy options in most aspects of foreign affairs. true or not
true
Identical twins are much more likely to share political views than fraternal twins. true or not
true
In recent presidential elections, women have generally supported the Democratic candidate. true or not
true
Most Americans do not employ the words "liberal" or "conservative" when explaining their political beliefs and preferences. true or not
true
Most Americans favor term limits for members of Congress. true or not
true
Most Americans favor the idea of a balanced federal budget true or false
true
Most citizens are pretty good at using limited information to figure out what policies most nearly reflect their values or favor their interests. true or not
true
Republican members of Congress tend to be consistently far more conservative than the typical Republican voter. true or false
true
Social class is probably a better indicator of political attitudes in Great Britain or France than in the United States. true or not
true