CHAPTER 5 Public Opinion What is Public Opinion

CHAPTER 5 Public Opinion

What is Public Opinion? “of the people, by the people, for the people. ” Lincoln, the Gettysbur g Address The people want… A balanced budget The ERA ratified Term limits for Congress Lower taxes No electoral college Is the US Gov’t giving the people what it wants?

Policy & Opinion at Odds US Gov’t not intended to do “what the people want” What happened? Political parties Large v. small states Majority rule may not protect minority rights Voter turnout—who’s voting

What Influences Public Opinion? 1. Education 2. Political Parties 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Family Religion Age Social class Race Region sex

Political Ideologies Conservative Republican Family values Strong military Less gov’t Lower taxes for wealthy Free market More educated Liberal Democrat Jobs for all Taxation of the rich Tolerant More gov’t to help less fortunate Subsidized medical care and education Less educated

The Tweeners 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. People can mix ideologies Pure Liberals Pure Conservatives Libertarians—conservative on economic issues, liberal on personal issues Populists—liberal on economics, conservative on personal New Class—youth of America, some college, urban, critical of business & gov’t, conservative on some social issues, liberal on others

Questions 1. What do you think is the one thing that voters want the most? Explain. 2. In the US system of gov’t, is the minority view protected, or is there too much power to the majority view? Explain. 3. Examine the following factors of public opinion: Education, Political Parties, Family, Religion, Age, Social class, Race, Region, sex. Rank the order of importance of these factors (the least being #1). 4. Why are many Americans leaning towards mixed ideologies? Explain.