Federal Govt Chapter 6
"Voting correctly"
By means of these informational shortcuts, average citizens can form political opinions that are, in most instances, consistent with their underlying preferences.
Although understandable and, perhaps, inevitable, low levels of political knowledge and engagement weaken American democracy in two ways:
First, those who lack political information cannot effectively defend their own political interests and can easily become losers in political struggles. Second, if knowledge is power, then a lack of knowledge can contribute to growing political and economic inequality; Millions of individuals who were unlikely to derive benefit from President Bush's tax policy thought they would.
Which of the following are examples of presidential attempts to lead public opinion?
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "Fireside Chats" George W. Bush's PR Program supporting the War on Terror Barack Obama's use of Facebook to promote policy positions
A 1936 Literary Digest poll predicted that the Republican candidate, Alf Landon, would defeat the Democratic incumbent, Roosevelt, in that year's presidential election, but
The actual election, of course, ended in a Roosevelt landslide.
The president plays a key role in deciding and implementing
U.S. foreign policy, particularly in moments of crisis
But since the 1990s, California, once a Republican stronghold, has become solidly Democratic, probably beginning with
a series of ballot measures targeting racial and ethnic minorities and endorsed by the Republican Party in the 1990s, including immigration, affirmative action, and bilingual education.
Bandwagon effect
a shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front-runner
Research has shown that public opinion does indeed have
a significant impact on public policy, especially foreign policy.
The most representative sample is what statisticians call
a simple random sample (or probability sample)
Sample
a small group selected by researchers to represent the most important characteristics of an entire population
Equality of opportunity
a widely shared American ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential
Telephone surveys are fairly
accurate, cost-effective, and flexible in the type of questions that can be asked.
The Tea Party movement
advocates private-sector solutions to the problems that face society
In much the same way, liberal organizations vie for public attention armed with
ample financial assets, access to the media, and well-honed skills in creating, communicating, and using ideas.
For a political survey to be an accurate representation of the population, it must meet certain requirements, including
an appropriate sampling method, a sufficient sample size, and the avoidance of selection bias.
The Business Roundtable,
an organization of chief executive of American companies, uses the Internet to explain its support for the Keystone XL pipeline as part of America's energy policy.
The mass media ___________ neutral messengers for others' ideas. The media has had ___________ independent impact on public opinion.
are not; significant
Socialists
argue that more government is necessary to promote justice and to reduce economic and social inequality; a political ideology that emphasizes social ownership and strong government
In the context of understanding public opinion, which of the following is the best definition of values?
basic principles that shape a person's opinions about issues and events
Conservatives
believe strongly that a large government poses a threat to the freedom of individual citizens and specifically to free markets and democracy; today's conservatives espouse the views of classical liberalism.
Partisanship appears to have a
big effect in shaping public opinion on this issue.
Until recently, opinion polls did not include
cell phone numbers, but because so many young people, urban residents, lower-income groups, and other demographic groups don't have landlines, cell phone numbers are included in many opinion polls.
Since we don't have a complete list of all Americans, pollsters use
census data, lists of households (for in-person or telephone surveys), and telephone numbers (telephone surveys) to create lists, drawing samples from regions and then neighborhoods within regions.
"Critical citizens" are
characterized by high expectations of democracy as an ideal and yet low evaluations of the actual performance of government
The researchers Dennis Chong and Jamie Druckman have extended how we measure framing effects on public opinion by testing the effect of
competing frames to create more realistic models of real-world political debate, where citizens are exposed to multiple perspectives on candidates and political issues.
Contrary to the idea that public opinion is purely rational, feelings are
complicated and often irrational; once individuals become emotionally attached to particular beliefs, they tend to hold on to them even in the face of contradictory information.
This direct exposure to the people's views did not necessarily produce accurate knowledge of public opinion, but It did give political leaders
confidence in their public support—and therefore confidence in their ability to govern by consent.
Individuals who have __________ educational attainment, _________ income, and _________ members of civic organizations are most likely to be politically knowledgeable.
higher; higher; are
Franklin Delano Roosevelt promoted his policy agenda directly to the American people through
his famous "fireside chats" radio broadcasts.
Researchers often use framing experiments (in surveys or laboratory experiments) to understand
how subtle changes in the structure of political information can result in the expression of different political opinions.
To counter the widespread misperception, the White House eventually posted to the Internet a photograph of President Obama's "long-form" birth certificate, showing that he was born
in a hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961, at 7:24 pm.
A sitting president had never before been forced to prove his citizenship publicly
in over 2 centuries since the founding
Some research finds that the gap between the haves and the have-nots in terms of political knowledge actually
increases with the availability of more information.
The United States was founded on the principle of
individual liberty
Political scientists have found that survey results can be inaccurate when the surveys include questions about sensitive issues for which
individuals do not wish to share their true preferences
Pollsters take a sample of the population and use it to make
inferences (e.g., extrapolations and educated guesses) about the preferences of the population as a whole
Factors such as race, gender, income, age, religion, and region—which not only affect individuals' interests but also shape their experiences and upbringing—do
influence Americans' beliefs and opinions
All governments try to
influence, manipulate, or manage their citizens' beliefs.
Many Americans believe that governmental solutions to problems are
inherently inferior to solutions offered by the private sector.
Internet surveys can be
more efficient, less costly, and more accurate than standard phone surveys, and they include larger samples of young people and yield more accurate results within age cohorts.
Individuals who are more interested in news and follow public affairs tend to hold
more extreme opinions
Those with higher education, income, and occupational status, and who are members of social or political organizations, are
more likely to know about and be active in politics
In the future, Internet surveys may be
more representative of the American population than traditional telephone surveys, and may replace telephone surveys entirely, especially given falling response rates and the growing number of households without landline phones but using cell phones exclusively
Among Republicans, those doubting the president's citizenship numbered
more than two in five.
States with more conservative opinions tend to adopt ____________ conservative laws, and states with more _____________ public opinion adopt more liberal policies.
more; liberal
The framers of the Constitution thought that the inherent gulf between the rich and the poor would always be the
most important source of conflict in political life.
Polls show that the public's attitude toward growing income inequality has remained
mostly unchanged since the 1980s; Less than half of Americans (47 percent) thought the gap between the rich and the poor was a serious problem in 2013
Stories we hear growing up are highly influential when
narratives are coherent and consistent.
Americans in the upper fifth of the income distribution now earn
nearly 17 times as much as those in the lowest fifth
Lacking sufficient knowledge of public policy to give informed opinions can
not only, for example, lead to a potential underreporting of support for welfare policy among the poor, but also limit the political voice of those who are most likely to support social welfare policies
A familiar polling problem is the bandwagon effect, which occurs when
polling results influence people to support the candidate marked as the probable victor in a campaign.
The reliability of survey results can also be adversely affected by
poor question format, faulty ordering of questions, poor vocabulary, ambiguity of questions, or questions with built-in biases
Yet even when there is broad agreement over principles,
practical interpretations of principles can differ.
Rolls of registered voters are often used in political surveys designed to
predict the outcome of an election.
The American National Election Studies (ANES) is the
premier omnibus survey
If used infrequently, presidential addresses tend to be covered at
prime time by all of the major networks.
Many surveys you will find online do not use
probability sampling (random sampling), and thus are not representative of the American population. Instead, they reflect those willing to take a quiz online, or on Facebook.
KN has a large population of respondents (hundreds of thousands of individuals) identified using
probability sampling, so the sample is representative of the American population in terms of age, education, income, gender, race, political interest, region, partisanship, and other attributes.
People who tend to be more fearful appear to support policies that
protect the existing social structure from both external and internal threats.
Thus, elite polarization may have negative implications for
public opinion formation.
Today public officials make extensive use of
public-opinion polls to help them decide whether to run for office, what policies to support, how to vote on important legislation, and what types of appeals to make in their campaigns.
The George W. Bush administration developed an extensive
public-relations program to bolster popular support for the president's policies, including the administration's war against terrorism.
Certainly Americans differ on many issues, and often these differences do seem to be associated with
race, religion, gender, age, or other social characteristics.
Research finds education to be a strong predictor of tolerance for
racial minorities
Political ideology
refers to a complex set of beliefs and values that, as a whole, form a general philosophy about government.
Public opinion
refers to the attitudes that people have about issues, events, elected officials, and, of course, politics and policy.
In recent years, the issue of selection bias has been complicated by the fact that growing numbers of individuals
refuse to answer pollsters' questions, or they use such devices as answering machines and caller ID to screen unwanted callers
Given survey respondents' varying answers to the same basic question as shown in this graph, what should we conclude about surveys?
small differences in survey wording can have big differences in results.
Some studies, however, suggest that the views of respondents and nonrespondents can differ, especially along
social class lines
Agents of socialization
social institutions, including families and schools, that help to shape individuals' basic political beliefs and values; foster differences in political perspectives
Today's liberals are
social liberals rather than classical liberals; today this term refers to those who generally support social and political reform; governmental intervention in the economy and more economic equality; expansion of federal social services; and greater concern for consumers and the environment
Obama's White House is unique in using
social media to promote the president's policy agenda.
Electoral rules affect how and where candidates campaign, which means
some groups of potential voters receive much more attention from candidates than others.
In classical political theory, a liberal was
someone who favored individual initiative and was suspicious of the motives of government and of its ability to manage economic and social affairs—a definition akin to that of today's libertarian
Polling companies, such as YouGov, use different methods for conducting Internet surveys, often by using
statistical weights to make the surveys generally representative of the American population.
Religion can be powerful if it repeats
stories, ceremonies, and rituals that tell its members about who they are and how they should see the world.
The influence of affluent Americans may explain government policies such as
tax cuts for the ultrawealthy, failure to increase the minimum wage, and the elimination of the inheritance tax which contribute to inequality between the ultrarich and average Americans.
A 2013 Pew survey found that more than 50 percent of Americans believe the federal courts fail to provide adequate restraints on
telephone, email, and Internet data the government collects as part of its antiterrorism policies
Of Democrats, 92 percent agreed
that "today it's really true that the rich just get richer while the poor get poorer;" just 56 percent of Republicans agreed with the statement.
Those who support Occupy Wall Street have very different beliefs regarding the cause of the poor economy, which is
that banks and elected officials are held captive by corporate interests
Many conservatives support at least some government social programs. Republican president George W. Bush called himself a "compassionate conservative," to indicate
that he favored programs that assist the poor and needy.
In a June 2011 Latino Decisions tracking poll, three-quarters of Latinos wanted the federal government not to deport young people who would be eligible for
the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors); Obama took a step in this direction with an executive order implementing parts of the DREAM Act in 2012; he also won a majority of the Latino vote.
The 1960s mark the beginning of the South's move from
the Democratic to the Republican camp—mainly because of white southern opposition to the Democratic Party's integrationist racial policies and because of determined Republican efforts to win white southern support.
Using the runway of an aircraft carrier as his stage, a confident Commander in Chief Bush, dressed in military fatigues, proclaimed the end of
the Iraq War in 2003. His statement was premature by nearly a decade, but it effectively maintained public support for the Iraq War effort.
The term public opinion is used to describe
the beliefs and attitudes that people have about issues.
Nicholas Carr's study details
the decline in the deep processing that underpins "mindful knowledge acquisition, inductive analysis, critical thinking, imagination, and reflection." He argues that although the Internet may seem to be making us smarter by virtue of giving us access to more data faster than ever, it also threatens the type of intelligence that is measured by depth of thought rather than sheer speed.
Social desirability effect
the effect that results when respondents in a survey report what they expect the interviewer wishes to hear rather than what they believe
Only the president can claim to speak for
the entire nation
Framing experiments help researchers understand how public opinion changes in
the face of new information and how public opinion moves in response to political elites and the mass media
Which of the following is an agent of socialization?
the family, social groups, education, political environment...
To some extent, contemporary liberalism and conservatism can be seen as differences in emphasis with regard to
the fundamental American political values of liberty and equality.
Americans may become trapped in a "filter bubble" in which
they are exposed only to news consistent with their political preferences.
One reason that more affluent and educated individuals have greater influence over policy is that
they are more likely to vote and make campaign contributions.
What is the goal of a push poll?
to shape the respondent's perception of the candidate or issue in question
One of the most important measures of public opinion in a democracy is
trust in government; High levels of political trust create legitimacy for democratic government
When elected officials pursue policies not aligned with centrist opinion, it is often because they
view particular groups of the electorate as more important than others.
In a comparative study of the roll-call votes of U.S. senators, political scientists John Griffin and Brian Newman demonstrate that elected officials are indeed responsive to the policy preferences (and public opinion) of
voters, but not to those of nonvoters.
Mass polarization
where liberals choose to live in neighborhoods, cities, counties, and states that are more liberal, while conservatives move to areas with populations with more conservative views
Republican religious supporters
white Catholics white Evangelicals
Public opinion is _______ to change.
slow
The Pew Research Center has tracked trust in the federal government from 1958 to 2013 by asking this question on national surveys:
"How much of the time do you trust the government in Washington?"
The development and promotion of conservative themes and ideas in recent years have been greatly facilitated by the millions of dollars that conservative corporations and business organizations such as
"Super PACs," the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Public Affairs Council spend each year on public information
The consensus among statisticians and pollsters is that the optimal trade-off point is 1,000—hence 1,000 is the
"gold standard."
For example, when African Americans see their fate as linked to other members of the black community
"linked fate"
In a scientific poll, what sample size is generally sufficient for accurately measuring national public opinion?
1,000
Which of the following statements is correct? 1. Highly knowledgeable citizens tend to maintain beliefs most consistent with their interests. 2. Most citizens are politically knowledgeable and maintain beliefs consistent with their interests. 3. A citizen's political knowledge is not a predictor of maintaining beliefs consistent with interests. 4. Low knowledge citizens tend to maintain beliefs most consistent with their interests.
1. Highly knowledgeable citizens tend to maintain beliefs most consistent with their interests.
Which of the following statements is correct? 1. It is possible to estimate the country's opinion based on a rather small sample of people. 2. Public-opinion surveys only tell you what the sample's opinions are, without inferences for the general population. 3. For a public-opinion survey to be accurate, it only needs to have more than 200 respondents. 4. It is nearly impossible to collect a simple random sample.
1. It is possible to estimate the country's opinion based on a rather small sample of people.
Which of the following statements about Americans' ideology is correct? 1. More Americans today identify themselves as "conservatives" than "liberals." 2. More Americans today identify themselves as "liberals" than "conservatives." 3. More Americans today identify themselves as "moderates" than "conservatives."
1. More Americans today identify themselves as "conservatives" than "liberals."
Which of the following statements are correct regarding the effect of party polarization on public opinion? 1. Party polarization decreases the impact of other information on public opinion. 2. Party endorsements have a larger impact on opinion formation than it used to. 3. The political parties are now sending inconsistent policy cues more than they used to. 4. People tend to ignore the parties more now than they used to, since they are so extreme.
1. Party polarization decreases the impact of other information on public opinion. 2. Party endorsements have a larger impact on opinion formation than it used to.
Which of the following are results of the low levels of political knowledge among many Americans? 1. Political opinion can be manipulated by political elites. 2. People may support policies against their own self-interest. 3. Public opinion is irrational and volatile. 4. People are not capable of making informed decisions.
1. Political opinion can be manipulated by political elites. 2. People may support policies against their own self-interest.
The tendency of men's and women's opinions to differ in voting preferences is known as the gender gap, with women giving slight preference to Democrats over men. According to a 2012 Pew Research Center study on the gender gap in American politics, which of the following issues are women more likely to favor than men? 1. protecting the environment 2. same-sex marriage 3. religious institutions should be exempt from offering insurance for contraceptives 4. preferring military intervention over diplomacy
1. protecting the environment 2. same-sex marriage
An election poll of 1,000 people indicates that 49 percent of voters favor Obama, and 51 percent of voters favor Romney, with a 2 percent margin of error.
51 percent of the population supports Obama and 49 percent supports Romney. 50 percent of the population supports Obama and 50 percent supports Romney.
Between 1993 and 2012, the income of the top 1 percent of Americans grew
86 percent, while the income of the other 99 percent grew less than 7 percent
Which of the following are reasons that policy change may shape public opinion?
A policy might act as a signal of an ethical or moral view. The policy may give the public new information. The policy may expose the public to a new idea.
Another way of understanding how individuals form public opinion is the online-processing model, advanced by the political scientist Milton Lodge and colleagues.
According to Lodge, an individual keeps a running tally of information and uses that tally to decide which candidate to vote for or to form an opinion on a policy issue. However, by the time an individual actually votes or voices an opinion on a specific issue, she may have forgotten some of the older information included in her decision-making process. This leads to the misconception that voters are uninformed, when in fact their opinion is informed but they have not retained all of the facts used to form that opinion. This model also implies a large role for elite information, but does not necessarily suggest that opinion is unstable
When Americans with different income levels differ in policy preferences, which of the following statements are correct regarding actual policy outcomes?
Actual policies reflect the preferences of the affluent. Actual policies show little relationship to the preferences of the poor and middle class.
In general, which political or ideological group is most likely to support the economic and social status quo?
Conservatives
With Latinos and blacks combined making up more than 50 percent of California's population, this demographic environmental change moved California to a solid
Democratic state.
Women are more likely than men to vote for
Democratic candidates; women tend to oppose military intervention more than men, are more likely than men to favor policies to protect the environment, and are more supportive of government social and health care programs
Match each political value to its definition:
Every citizen should have the opportunity to take part in the government process. (democracy) Government interference in individuals' lives should be kept to a minimum. (liberty) All individuals should be allowed to seek personal and material success. (equality of opportunity)
"Social liberalism"
In the early twentieth century, many liberals and progressives coalesced around the doctrine, which held that government action might be needed to preserve individual liberty.
The fact that the public is inattentive to politics and must frequently rely on informational shortcuts has which of the following effects?
It weakens democracy by making it easier for various institutions and political actors to manipulate the political process.
Democrat religious supporters
Jews Hispanic Catholics black Protestants
Select the following statements that are true regarding the role education plays in political socialization.
The more education one has, the more likely one is to be involved in politics. The more education one has, the more tolerant of racial minorities one is.
Progressives
The proponents of a larger and more active government
Which of the following statements are correct regarding the media and public opinion.
The way the media present a story can influence public opinion. Presentation of corruption in government has undermined public trust.
Respondents tend to overreport voting in elections and the frequency of their church attendance. Why?
These activities are deemed socially appropriate, so even if the respondents did not vote or do not attend church regularly, they may feel social pressure to do so, and thus they may respond inaccurately on a survey.
Citizens seem to lack the political knowledge necessary to have informed opinions, and
These circumstances make it difficult for lawmakers to follow the will of the people.
Studies have shown that voters with higher income levels and higher levels of education wield more influence over policy makers. What are some of the reasons this is the case?
They are more likely to contribute money to campaigns. They vote at higher rates. They are more likely to work on political campaigns.
Gender gap
a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men
Economic opportunity, defined as
a good job and a decent standard of living
Simple random sample (probability sample)
a method used by pollsters to select a representative sample in which every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent
The ANES traditionally has conducted surveys using face-to-face interviews, but because interviewing respondents in person is very costly, the ANES uses
a multistage, stratified probability sample of 2,000-plus respondents from regions of the country (what they call primary sampling units); it does not guarantee random samples within states
Libertarianism
a political ideology that emphasizes freedom and voluntary association with small government
Random digit dialing
a polling method in which respondents are selected at random from a list of 10-digit telephone numbers, with every effort made to avoid bias in the construction of the sample; but not business phones or inoperative home telephones
Push polls
a polling technique in which the questions are designed to shape the respondent's opinion; not intended to yield accurate information about a population.
Partisan realignment in the South and congressional redistricting have reduced the number of
conservative Democrats and all but eliminated liberal Republicans from the Congress and from positions of prominence in the party; As a result, the leadership of the Republican Party has become increasingly conservative whereas that of the Democratic Party has become more liberal, and this is reflected in public opinion.
Among religious groups, white Evangelical Christians and Catholics tend to have more
conservative views on moral issues than Protestants, mainline Christians, and individuals of other denominations.
When asked about their political ideology, more Americans describe themselves as ---------------- than ----------------.
conservative; liberal
Values (or beliefs)
constitute a person's basic orientation to politics. Values underlie deep-rooted goals, aspirations, and ideals that shape an individual's perceptions of political issues and events; i.e. Liberty, democracy, and equality of opportunity
The "consent of the governed"—demanded in the Declaration of Independence—is
critical for the functioning of a democracy.
The continual media presentation of corruption in government has undoubtedly contributed to the
cynicism toward and distrust of government that prevails in much of the general public, as discussed above
There are Internet vandals, or "bomb throwers," who
defame other people and their opinions in ways that may negatively color public opinion.
Differences in formal education are strongly associated with
differences in political outlook.
A sample must be large enough to provide an accurate representation of the population, but the size of the population being measured
doesn't matter, only the size of the sample.
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
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.
A candidate who has "momentum"—that is, one who demonstrates a lead in the polls—usually finds it considerably
easier to raise campaign funds than a candidate whose poll standing is poor.
One striking characteristic of contemporary America is
economic inequality; by some measures it is the highest it has been since 1928
Although many Americans subscribe to libertarianism, socialism, and other ideologies in part, most Americans describe themselves as
either liberals or conservatives, or some shade of the two
Midterm elections
elections for Congress in years when the president is not on the ballot—often see only 40 percent of eligible voters turn out.
Walter Lippmann, an influential political commentator of the mid-twentieth century, argued that public opinion is but an echo of
elite positions on policy issues, and many others studying public opinion agree
Public opinion often trends with the policy preferences of
elites
The most important of the core values to liberals is
equality
According to a 2014 Pew Research Center survey, which fundamental value do Americans believe in most strongly?
equality of opportunity
Internet access is emerging as an important form of
equality of opportunity by providing online access to job opportunities, news, politics, commerce, and other benefits of digital citizenship.
Websites such as RealClearPolitics.com list the results of
every political survey released each day; during elections, this can be as many as 20 different surveys daily.
In contemporary politics, which of the following are political positions are more likely to be supported liberals?
expansion of federal social services, protection of rights for gays and lesbians, and extensive government intervention in the economy
Measuring public opinion can be a challenge; measuring opinions incorrectly can bias the findings. However, surveys using
experiments can be designed to tap respondents' latent or hidden feelings about sensitive issues without directly asking them to express overt opinions
While President Obama is liberal in supporting health care reform and other social programs, he has been criticized by those on the left for
extending the tax policies of his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, which benefited the affluent, for expanding U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and other countries, and for historic deportations of illegal immigrants.
Additionally, response rates for surveys—the percentage of calls attempted that are completed—have been
falling steeply
The government can easily and substantially influence public opinion.
false
Most people initially acquire their political orientation from __________, while friends __________ important role in shaping opinion as one gets older.
family; play a more
Ideas are marketed most effectively by groups with access to
financial resources, public or private institutional support, and sufficient skill or education to select, develop, and draft ideas that will attract interest and support
Studies have shown that topics on which Americans have less political knowledge are more subject to influence from elites. On which of the following topics is public opinion most influenced by presidential messages?
foreign policy
One realm in which presidential messages seem to routinely impact public opinion is
foreign policy.
Liberty is
freedom from governmental control
Probably no nation, and certainly no democracy, could survive if its citizens did not share some
fundamental beliefs
Only rarely, such as in the grassroots or "retail" politics of the Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire presidential primary, can politicians
gauge the public's response directly.
Which of the following factors influence American's beliefs and opinions?
gender, religion, age, income, race, and geographic region
New research finds that many of our political beliefs may have a
genetic basis and thus be "hard-wired."
Indeed, education may be the
great equalizer
The campaign to repeal Roe v. Wade is primarily led by
interest groups
News stories are often fed by
interest groups that write press releases.
When individuals try to form opinions about a particular policy issue, they tend to be influenced by
interest groups. the media. the government.
To communicate their ideas and influence public opinion, interest groups
invest considerable resources in media campaigns that will reach a broad audience.
Attitude (or opinion)
is a specific view about a particular issue, person, or event.
Those of people supporting the Tea Party believe the cause of the poor economy
is that government regulation is strangling the private sector, preventing an economic rebound
Retail politics
is where candidates meet citizens face-to-face to discuss politics.
Knowledge Networks (KN) and YouGov are
leaders in Internet polling using random sampling methods in which respondents complete surveys online instead of being interviewed on the phone.
The research suggests that with more information, public opinion may actually be
less consistent
When policy issues are more complicated, the public is likely to have
less of a voice
Response rates for the Pew Research Center's highly respected surveys, for example, are
less than 15 percent
Through groups such as Common Cause, the National Organization for Women, MoveOn.org, the World Wildlife Federation, and Sierra Club,
liberal intellectuals and professionals have been able to apply their organizational skills and educational resources to developing and promoting their ideas.
Black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics, Jews, and the religiously unaffiliated are more likely to hold
liberal views and favor the Democratic Party.
Today, the term ---------------- refers to an ideology that supports social and political reform, greater economic equality, and expansion of government social services.
liberalism
The most important of the core values to conservatives is
liberty
People with similar traits or backgrounds have similar
life experiences that shape their understanding of the political world.
Research has found that U.S. senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties are less likely to respond to the opinions of
low-income constituents than to those of constituents with higher incomes.
Because being informed politically requires a substantial investment of time and energy, most Americans seek to acquire political information and to make political decisions "on the cheap" by
making use of shortcuts for political evaluation and decision making rather than engaging in a lengthy process of information gathering.
If many Americans are unaware that income inequality is growing, then they
may not demand different policies, such as increases in the minimum wage or increased taxation on the wealthy to support government assistance for the poor.
The widespread tendency to base survey responses on the way questions are worded or "framed" provides a way to
measure public opinion—through what are called framing experiments.
Conservative ideologies range from
moderates to Tea Party conservatives who hold much more critical views of government's role in the economy and society
Most Americans consider themselves
moderates, with shades of liberal or conservative values
Religion is an important predictor of opinion on a wide range of issues, particularly those involving
morality or family.
By using informational shortcuts, average citizens form opinions that are ________ consistent with their underlying preferences.
often
The media are very much opinion makers in their own right and have an enormous impact
on popular attitudes
More than halfway through Barack Obama's first presidential term, nearly
one in five (almost 20 percent) of Americans believed that he had been born outside the United States and thus, as a noncitizen, was ineligible for the presidency.
Quality public education is
one of the most important mechanisms for obtaining equality of opportunity in that it allows individuals, regardless of personal or family wealth, a chance to get ahead.
Selection bias
polling error that arises when the sample is not representative of the population being studied, which creates errors in overrepresenting or underrepresenting some opinions
One of the most important studies of how public opinion is formed is by political scientist John Zaller. Zaller believes that
opinion formation is based on an individual's memory. An individual receives information and decides whether to accept or reject that information based on his political knowledge. When asked about his opinion on a topic, the individual selects the most relevant or most recently acquired and accepted information from his "bucket" of information. Citizens with more political knowledge can differentiate between information that fits with their beliefs or does not fit—and then correctly accept or reject it.
New policy may expose the public to new ideas, causing
opinion to change, or experience with a (successful or unsuccessful) policy gives the public new information.
In 2012, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, a staunch libertarian, gained support among many young voters for his
opposition to foreign wars and his support of civil liberties and smaller government, including legalization of marijuana
The term political socialization is telling because we come to adopt our beliefs, not through interacting with others, but through
our given context (place, time, and events).
Most people believe that all individuals should be allowed to pursue success based on their
own efforts and abilities—and not on their social background.
Interestingly, though, individuals with the most interest in news and public affairs are also the most
partisan in their opinions
Researchers have found that individuals rely on cues from
party elites and the media to aid in attitude formation.
The relationship between government policy and opinion may be dynamic, wherein
policy responds to opinion but opinion also shifts based on new government policies.
Although political beliefs are influenced by family background and group membership, the content and character of these views is, to a large extent, determined by
political circumstances
Female representation at all levels of government positively relates to women's
political efficacy and ability to name their representatives.
Which factor best explains whether individuals are generally consistent in their political views or inconsistent and open to the influence of others?
political knowledge
Social groups include those to which individuals belong voluntarily or involuntarily
political parties, labor unions, the military, and environmental, educational, and occupational groups or national, religious, gender, and racial groups,
The process by which Americans learn political beliefs and values is called
political socialization
Given the general lack of political knowledge among voters, the sometimes volatile nature of public opinion, and the difficulty of measuring the public will accurately, it's little wonder that
politicians are sometimes unable, or unwilling, to act solely on the basis of public opinion
Sampling error (or margin of error)
polling error that arises based on the small size of the sample
The median household income of Americans has
remained about the same for nearly a decade
The percentage of Americans who consider themselves moderates, liberals, or conservatives has
remained relatively constant for the past 15 years.
"Politicos"
respondents who are interested in politics
Government policy ____________ to public opinion; public opinion _____________ to government policy.
responds; responds
Misinformation
rumor masked as legitimate news—may be more common, especially in blogs, as the confusion regarding Barack Obama's country of birth illustrates
On which of the following topics is the government most likely to respond to shifts in public opinion?
same-sex marriage
Which of the following is the term used in public-opinion polling to denote the small group representing the opinions of the whole population?
sample
In fact, after 1,000 coin tosses there is a 95 percent chance that the number of heads will be somewhere between 46.9 percent and 53.1 percent. This 3.1 percent variation from 50 percent is called the
sampling error or margin of error.
Public-opinion polls
scientific instruments for measuring public opinion
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debated each other
seven times during the summer and autumn of 1858, two years before they became presidential nominees
Americans opinions about what government should do are often
shifting and inconsistent.
Political scientist Betsy Sinclair argues that individuals are "social citizens" whose political opinions and behavior are
significantly shaped by peer influence, including friends and family; basic political acts are surprisingly subject to social pressures.
Push polls may be one reason Americans are becoming increasingly
skeptical about the practice of polling and increasingly unwilling to answer pollsters' questions.
How do most Americans get their political news?
skimming headlines on the internet; More than 3 in 4 Americans get their news online, with news sites offering shorter articles and flashier headlines.
Which of the following are the most important external influences on how political opinions are formed in the marketplace of ideas?
the government, private groups, and the news media
Three forces that play important roles in shaping opinions in the marketplace are
the government, private groups, and the news media.
Political socialization
the induction of individuals into the political culture; learning the underlying beliefs and values on which the political system is based
The media are among the most powerful forces operating in
the marketplace of ideas.
Campaigns are
the mechanism through which candidates for political office attempt to persuade individuals to vote for them on Election Day.
Framing experiments are an important tool for measuring how
the media and government shape political attitudes.
During the Great Depression, though, only wealthier Americans owned telephones and automobiles. Thus,
the millions of working-class Americans who constituted Roosevelt's base of support were excluded from the sample.
As recently as 50 years ago, American political leaders gauged public opinion by
the presence of crowds at meetings and their applause.
Which of the following is the best definition of political socialization?
the process through which political beliefs and values are formed
Marketplace of ideas
the public forum in which beliefs and ideas are exchanged and compete; the interplay of opinions and views that takes place as competing forces attempt to persuade as many people as possible to accept a particular position on a particular issue.
While most Americans appear to acknowledge the large gap between the rich and the poor in the United States, it is not clear whether
the public is aware of changes in income inequality
Studies generally suggest that elected officials are influenced by the preferences of
the public.
A push poll is a poll in which
the questions are designed to shape the respondent's opinion rather than measure the respondent's opinion.
Of those who describe themselves as lower class, 84 percent agreed that
the rich are getting richer, compared with 66 percent of those in the upper class
If survey respondents are hiding their true preferences about race from the interviewer, what is the survey suffering from?
the social desirability effect
Senate votes on such varied issues as the minimum wage, civil rights, and abortion are more likely to reflect the opinions of
the upper-income constituency.
The rise of digital media is actually changing
the way we think
One frequent source of measurement error in surveys is
the wording of survey questions.
Individuals most likely to rely on cell phones alone include
the young, urban residents, the poor, and minorities.
Governments use public education to try to teach all children a common set of civic values; it is mainly in school that Americans acquire
their basic belief in liberty, equality, and democracy.
Most people acquire their initial orientation to politics from
their families.
Larger sample sizes can yield more accurate predictions of the opinions of a population, but
there is a trade-off in terms of cost, since it is also more expensive to poll more people
Which of the following elements do pollsters have to consider before conducting a poll that will forecast the election?
wording of survey questions ability to randomly select respondents a large sample