2. PUBLIC OPINION AND POLLS  Public opinion – a complex collection of the opinions of many different persons – a sum total of their views.  There are many different publics in the United States – each public is made up of people who hold the view on a particular public issue. Americans belong to many different publics, each with a distinctive view point

3.  Public opinion includes only those views that relate to matters of public concern.  In other words – Public opinion are attitudes held by a significant number of persons concerning governmental and political questions

4. HOW IS PUBLIC OPINION SHAPED?  Political Socialization – the complex process by which individuals acquire their political attitudes and opinions  The earliest and one of the most significant agents in the political socialization process is the family where children acquire basic attitudes that affect future opinions  Other forms of political socialization are: schools opinion leaders mass media

5. HOW IS PUBLIC OPINION MEASURED?  elections, interest groups, media and personal contacts and polls  Polls are devices that attempt to collect information to determine public opinion, they determine people’s attitudes and viewpoints

6.  The most reliable measure of public opinion is the scientific poll define the universe (population) the poll aims to measure construct a representative sample prepare valid questions select and control the polling report the findings One argument against polls criticizes the “bandwagon effect,” which is the tendency of some voters to go along with the crowd

7. MASS MEDIA  Mass media is those means of communication that reach large, widely dispersed audiences simultaneously– television, newspapers, radio and magazines  Mass media, unlike interest groups, do not exist to influence, they seem to affect politics most by focusing people’s attention on certain issues  Television is the most influential source of political information for most people