Public Opinion and the Media Public Opinion Consensus
Public Opinion and the Media
Public Opinion • • Consensus vs. Divisive Opinion Private vs. Public Opinion Belief Systems Political Knowledge
Capacity of the individual depends on • Cognitive skills • Motivation • Opportunity
Opinion Poll • What • How – Sampling – Margin of Error
Problems with polls • • • Sampling Errors Questions of the Survey Non-response Non-attitudes Push Polls
How opinions are formed • • Opinion leaders Self-interest principle Group identity Informational shortcuts
Mass media • • Agenda setter Conveyer and gate keeper Broadcast vs print/cable Television local news provides the primary news source for many Americans • Rational citizens selectively expose themselves to information
Media on the public airwaves • • Subject to FCC guidelines Equal opportunities rule Fairness doctrine Cable/satellite is not subject to these rules
Influences on political socialization • • • Family Education / Schools Peers / Peer groups / Clubs / etc. Religion / Religious associations Economic Status / Occupation / Coworkers Political events Opinion leaders Media Race / gender / demographic traits
Political culture • As a “deeper” form of democracy • Social Capital – Networks – Norms – Trust • Trends • Effect: Participation in the political system
Why? – Putnam’s hypotheses • • Busyness, time pressure Residential mobility Disruption of marriage Economic transformation The Sixties Growth of the welfare state Television
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