PS 101 Chapter 7

A well-constructed public opinion poll __________. Select one: a. distinguishes between elite and mass opinions b. separates conservative from liberal opinions c. poses the simplest questions possible d. attempts to quantify respondents' subjective responses

separates conservative from liberal opinions

A person's dedication to her organic vegetable garden would not be considered part of public opinion but her __________ would be. Select one: a. crop output b. eating habits c. views on food industry d. activities at the farmer's market

views on food industry

Mahatma Gandhi's movement in India illustrated that __________. Select one: a. public opinion must be shaped into a non-violent protest movement to be successful b. a government responds to public opinion when its image is threatened c. a government always responds to the public opinion of the population d. peaceful movements are more likely to succeed than violent ones

a government responds to public opinion when its image is threatened

Which factor contributed most to the collapse of regimes such as those in the Soviet Union? Select one: a. lack of decisive policy making by government officials b. a lack of sustained public support c. ineffective security forces d. deviation from true Marxist ideology

a lack of sustainable public support

Based on opinion polls in other areas, one could conclude that an American with a college education is likely to support __________.

a reduction of welfare benefits

One challenge of __________ approach is that many Americans tend to identify as middle class, even if they are too poor or too rich to qualify. Select one: a. an anecdotal b. a scientific c. an objective d. a subjective

a subjective

After interviewing a citizen about his support for the new health care bill, a newspaper concludes that there is widespread support for the new legislation in town. This is an example of __________. Select one: a. anecdotal evidence b. saliency c. government propaganda d. objective reporting

anecdotal evidence

Poor poll showings early in the campaign __________. Select one: a. usually have no impact on a candidate's chances of victory b. often encourage voters to turn out to ensure their candidate pulls out the win c. are often a self-fulfilling prophecy of defeat d. usually indicate that the polling methodology was flawed

are often self-fulfilling prophecy of defeat

Polls designed to influence respondents' opinions are known as __________ polls

push

Polls can track public opinion and __________.

shape public opinion

The fact that most Americans turned against the Iraq War after learning that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction (WMD) illustrates __________. Select one: a. how strongly public opinion shapes government policy b. that public opinion is often based on misinformation c. the limitations on government's ability to create the public opinion it desires d. the fact that public opinion rarely influences government policy

the limitation on government's ability to create the public opinion it desires

The 2008 U.S. financial bailouts were met with public opposition despite the fact that they staved off a depression and were being repaid. This illustrates that __________.

the public is often swayed by emotional rather than rational considerations

The results of a poll can be skewed by __________. Select one: a. the number of people who study the results b. the amount of time the media takes to report the results c. the importance of the poll to policy makers d. the way the questions are worded

the way the questions are worded

Which of these is an example of a rally event

a major terrorist attack

Elections rarely show __________.

how voters feel about specific issues

Which statement explains why a retired person who refers to herself as conservative expresses strong support for social welfare programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and federal aid for prescription drugs? Select one: a. Federal entitlement programs are conservative in nature. b. A person's self-identification is not always consistent with his or her views on specific issues. c. Conservative ideology sees public health care and pensions as a natural right. d. Most people hold consistent opinions about public policy issue.

A person's self-identification is not always consistent with his or her views on specific issues

In recent decades, women were several percentage points more likely than men to vote for a __________ presidential candidate.

Democratic

In the United States, some affluent suburbs are quite liberal, while poorer country dwellers are conservative. What does this suggest about Karl Marx's theories on class consciousness? Select one: a. His prediction regarding the salience of social class for U.S. citizens was correct. b. His predictions regarding the impact of religion and propaganda were accurate. c. His prediction regarding the salience of social class does not apply to the United States. d. His prediction regarding the collapse of capitalism was inaccurate.

His prediction regarding the salience of social class does not apply to the United States

Which statement explains why the life cycle theory does not always hold true? Select one: a. People tend to get more conservative as they get older. b. Major events during young adulthood can affect people's political views for a long time. c. Political engagement tends to increase as a person gets older and more successful. d. Americans are more likely to move to the suburbs when they graduate college.

Major events during young adulthood can affect peoples political views for a long time

Which of the following lends support to the political generations theory of public opinion? Select one: a. Older people are better informed about political issues than younger people. b. Many people who lived through the Great Depression are life-long supporters of welfare programs. c. Young voters went strongly to Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections. d. Younger people are better educated about political issues than older people.

Many people who lived through the Great Depression are life-long supporters of welfare programs

Which of the following is a reason that the telephone survey is the most common polling method in the United States?

Other forms of polling are impractical or prohibitively expensive

Which statement can explain why a public opinion poll taken in 2006 found that large numbers of Americans still believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and significant links to Al Qaeda? Select one: a. People often hold onto impressions even after the facts have been shown to them. b. The polling sample included a disproportionate number of people who supported the Iraq War in 2002. c. The poll was deliberately constructed to make Americans look uninformed. d. Americans knew that the weapons of mass destruction would eventually be found.

People often hold onto impressions even after the facts have been shown to them

Which of the following is a plausible explanation for the polls' prediction that Dewey would defeat Truman in 1948? Select one: a. Pollsters had assumed that non-respondents would wind up voting in the same ratio as those who had responded. b. Pollsters assumed that the country was significantly more Republican than the actual poll data indicated. c. Pollsters had assumed that respondents who said they were undecided would wind up voting in the same ratio as those who had already decided. d. Pollsters had assumed that all respondents who said they were unlikely to vote would, in fact, stay home.

Pollsters had assumed that respondents who said they were undecided would wind up voting in the same ratio as those who had already decided.

Which of these statements is true regarding a president's approval ratings? Select one: a. Presidents experience their highest ratings during their honeymoon phase. b. A bad economy is generally not blamed on an otherwise popular president. c. Rally events tend to lead to a decrease in presidential approval ratings. d. Congress is usually more popular than the President.

Presidents experience their highest ratings during their honeymoon phase

Why might a government go ahead with a policy or action that the majority of citizens oppose? Select one: a. The public probably will have forgotten all about it by the next election. b. The public would rather see decisive action that it opposes than no action at all. c. The government rarely has an accurate way of knowing what the people think. d. Public opinion does not always reflect what is best for the nation.

Public opinion does not always reflect what is best for the nation

Which pair of independent and dependent variables cannot reasonably be reversed? Select one: a. weekly TV consumption (independent) and level of education (dependent) b. annual income (independent) and level of education (dependent) c. weekly TV consumption (independent) and party affiliation (dependent) d. race (independent) and annual income (dependent)

Race (independent) and annual income (dependent)

Suppose you are an advisor to a U.S. president whose approval ratings are sagging. What advice could you give to the president to help boost public approval? Select one: a. Propose a bill increasing farm subsidies. b. Visit a local school to talk about education policy. c. Criticize Congress over its handling of the economy. d. Schedule a meeting with prominent foreign leaders to discuss a foreign policy crisis.

Schedule a meeting with prominent foreign leaders to discuss a foreign policy crisis

Which statement explains why public opinion is an important consideration for both democratic and authoritarian governments? Select one: a. Every society needs to have uniformity of public opinion to remain strong. b. Public opinion provides leaders with smart policy ideas. c. Manipulating public opinion is necessary to maintain social control. d. Strong public dissent can lead to an electoral defeat or the collapse of the regime.

Strong public dissent can lead to an electoral defeat or the collapse of the regime

How is the failure of the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion an example of the impact dramatic foreign policy events can have on public support of the president? Select one: a. Support for President Kennedy remained low because of the incoherence of his foreign policy. b. Support for President Kennedy remained steady because few people knew about the invasion. c. The event inspired public disdain for President Kennedy because it was a failure. d. The event inspired public support for President Kennedy even though it was a failure.

The event inspired public support for President Kennedy even though it was a failure

How do published exit polls affect the outcome of presidential elections in the United States? Select one: a. They have not been shown to have any impact. b. They have been shown to significantly influence undecided voters. c. They had a significant impact, which is why publishing exit polls are now illegal. d. They have led to lower voter turnout, since people already know who is likely to win.

They have not been shown to have any impact

Which of the following is most likely to result in a pollster recording a non-attitude response for a participant? Select one: a. asking the participant his opinion on crime in his neighborhood b. asking the participant his opinion on an especially complex issue c. asking the participant about an issue that he is passionate about d. asking the participant his opinion on a religious issue

asking the participant his opinion on an especially complex issue

Which of these is the best strategy for policy makers to use to create better policy on a particular issue?

balance opinion polls with their own knowledge on the issue

Which type of distribution curve is the most dangerous for a democracy?

bimodal

The Republican Party could attract more female supporters if it __________. Select one: a. intensified its calls for tax cuts on the wealthy b. changed its position on reproductive rights c. became more tolerant on the issue of immigration d. supported an increase in the minimum wage

changed its position on reproductive rights

Survey results show that __________ Americans tend to be more tolerant and more in favor of civil rights than the public as a whole. Select one: a. strongly religious b. college-educated c. rural-dwelling d. wealthy

college-educated

Published surveys tend to be more carefully watched by the public during __________. Select one: a. upturns in the stock market b. times of great social change c. election years d. wartime

election years

According to a 1998 Pew study of the attitude of politicians toward the public, politicians believed that __________. Select one: a. the American people are relatively well-informed b. re-election is easier than it should be c. public opinion is important in a democracy d. elites should decide policy questions

elites should decide policy questions

Which statement explains how Nate Silver was able to predict an Obama win in 2012 more confidently than many pollsters?

he polled a more representative sample of voters than other pollsters did

What is the most significant way in which television coverage turned public opinion in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1965?

images of police brutality toward African Americans sparked widespread outrage

In the United States, a liberal would likely support __________, while a conservative would likely support __________. Select one: a. increasing the minimum wage; banning same-sex marriage b. increasing military spending; banning unlimited campaign donations c. increasing the minimum wage; banning prayer in schools d. increasing military spending; banning lifetime limits on health insurance coverage

increasing the minimum wage; banning same-sex marriage

A pollster can decrease a poll's margin of error by __________.

increasing the sample size

The opinion of the general public tends to have little impact on government decision making because __________.

indifference and fragmentation make it difficult to discern what the public truly thinks

What does public opinion polling provide that election results cannot? Select one: a. the popularity of specific candidates b. a clear indication which political party is dominant c. insight into citizens' views on specific issues d. information about candidates' real views on the issues.

insight into citizens' views on specific issues

What can be concluded from the fact that such a large proportion of the American public identifies as conservative? Select one: a. Many people have an ideological identification that goes against their position on the issues. b. Opinion distributions in the United States are becoming increasingly unimodal. c. The Republican Party is likely to hold control of Congress for decades to come. d. The American people have repudiated traditional forms of individualism.

many people have an ideological identification that goes against their position on the issues

Politicians with an early lead in the polls tend to get _________. Select one: a. control over future polling questions b. overconfident and sloppy c. ignored by the adversarial press d. more campaign contributions and more press coverage

more campaign contributions and more press coverage

Gun control opponents tend to be __________ than the rest of the population.

more intense about the issue

According to Almond, the elite might play to the attentive public because the attentive public tends to __________.

pass on views that mobilize the general public

Which of these statements about the role of race and ethnicity in politics is the most accurate?

politics based on ethnicity have the potential to be fluid and change over time

Suppose two surveys are conducted, one asking people's level of support for "welfare" and the other using the term "assistance to the poor." The former survey finds much lower support than the latter. This discrepancy shows that __________.

pollsters must be careful to word questions in ways that avoid biased responses