Public Opinion Those attitudes held by a significant

Public Opinion • Those attitudes held by a significant of people on matters of government and politics. – However this term as actually difficult to define because many “publics” exist; each group of people with a different point of view is a separate public.

Family and Education • Family is the most important tool of political socialization. Children, more often than not, develop the same political ideas their parents hold because so much time is spent together. • Schools teach the value of the American political system and patriotism. Students spent 8 hours a day at school from ages 518.

Other Factors • Occupation, race, gender, place of residence also influence one’s socialization. • So does: – The mass media: those means of communication that reach large, widely dispersed audiences simultaneously. – Peer groups: made up of people with whom one regularly associates, including friends, neighbors and co-workers. – Opinion leaders: any person who has an unusually strong influence on the views of others.

Measuring Public Opinion • Measuring public opinion is difficult because data drawn from a sample population only represents the views of that “public. ” • In order to attempt to measure public opinion, political scientists use four main tools: – Elections, interest groups, the media, and personal contacts – In a democracy, the voice of the people is supposed to express itself through the ballot box. • Parties that win elections often claim a mandate – the people have given them the power to carry out their campaign promises.

Interest Groups • Are private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy. – Their members work to spread the opinions of the group to make positive change.

Polls • Polls are the best way to measure public opinion. – Public opinion poll – device that attempt to collect information by asking people questions. The most accurate polls are based on scientific polling techniques. • Straw poll – polls that seek to read the public’s mind simply by asking the same question of a large number of people. • George Gallup developed the first polling system that used scientific methods to conduct a public opinion poll.

The Polling Process 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Defining the Universe – who are we trying to measure? Constructing a Sample – how are we to measure our universe? Ask all of them? Ask only a sample of them? Will the sample be random? Preparing Valid Questions – Don’t use loaded questions, emotionally charged words, or terms that are difficult to understand. Interviewing – how will the poll be communicated to the poll-takers. Analyze and Report the Findings.

Evaluating Polls • Pollsters have trouble measuring three things: – Intensity – the strength of feeling with which an opinion is held – Stability – the relative permanence or changeableness of opinion – Relevance – how important a particular opinion is to the person who holds it. • “Bandwagon effect” – people want to be on the winning side, and will often say they support the side that is currently perceived to be ahead.

The Mass Media • 4 major forms of the mass media – Television – 98% of all households have a TV. Principal source of the news for 80% of the population. – Newspapers – The world’s principal source of political information from 1704 -1960. There are still over 10, 000 newspapers published in the United States. – Radio – radio is conveniently available in places where TV is not. – Magazines – 12, 000 magazines published in the U. S. with a combined circulation of 10 million copies a week.

The Media and Public Policy • The two areas that the media are most visible are in: – The public agenda: the media informs the public about the important issues. – Electoral politics: the media has made political candidates less reliant on their party for spreading the message because television allows them to appeal directly to the people.