1. Public Opinion & Political Action

2. Global Awareness: How do Americans Rank? #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7#8 #9 #10

3. Changing of American Demographics 1. What does this chart say about the probable make up of America in 2050? 2. What does this mean for politics going forward? 3. How will this change the policies of our leaders going forward?

4. Changing of American Demographics 4. What does this say about our birth rate in America? 5.How will this influence our work force going forward? 6. How will this influence our policies and politics going forward?

5. Changing of American Demographics 7. What area(s) of America is(are) becoming more important? 8. What area(s) of America is(are) losing the most people? 9. What does this mean for policies/politics going forward?

6. Changes… 10. What do all of these changes mean for our country? 11. How will these changes impact the way we are governed? 12. What types of policies do you think will change because of these changes?

7. Power Shifts The House of Representatives is limited to 435 members. Each state’s number is adjusted every 10 years in accordance with the constitutionally mandated census. Electoral college votes = Reps in the house + senators. Based off of earlier maps, what areas do you think have won/lost in the last 10-20 years?

9. Trust in Government 1. How much do you trust the government? 2. Do you think trust has gone up or down? 3. Do you think the government has really gotten less trustworthy? Why? 4. Does the shrinking trust have anything to do with the change in demographics?

10. Polls = Public Opinion? Polls often drive political action & policies. Many different methods today:  Phones  Internet  Face to face To be accurate MUST have:  Representative sample: people from all backgrounds.  Random sample: everyone must have an equal chance of being chosen. How much do these polls really reflect public opinion?

11. Harry Reid vs. Sharron Angle 2010: Errors Leading up to the election most polls had Angle winning by 3-5%. Polls were conducted by land line. Problems? Reid ended up winning by 5.6%. Pollsters were fired.

12. Where do your political beliefs come from? Remember:  We are ALL biased.  We will use confirmation bias and belief perseverance to protect ourselves. Most of our political beliefs are shaped by our parents and/or close family. Other sources:  Work  Church  Friends What has most influenced your political beliefs?