Thursday, March 23, 2017 Objective: Students will be able to understand how public opinion is measured and what polls tell us about the views of American voters. Purpose: Polls are used by politicians to determine what positions and actions they should take when campaigning or in office.

Choosing a Nominee This is done through either a caucus or a primary Caucus: a meeting of like-minded people who discuss and ultimately vote for who they will support in an upcoming election Primary: an election within a party that is held to pick a party’s nominee for the general election Primaries and Caucuses are used to nominate candidates for all state and national offices

Types of Primaries Closed Primary: primary in which only a declared party member can vote in Open Primary: primary in which any registered voter can participate in Presidential Primaries voters choose some or all of a State party organization’s delegates to their party’s national convention express a preference among various contenders for their party’s presidential nomination

Voters in Primaries and Caucuses Turnout is very low Only the hardcore supporters of each party vote in primaries We call these people the Base of the party Moderates tend to perform poorly in primaries Early success in the polls and the first states is mainly based on name recognition and relationships with voters

Party Conventions Goals Name the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates Bring the various factions and the leading personalities in the party together in one place for a common purpose Adopt the platform (basic principles, stands on major policy matters, and objectives for the campaign and beyond) Parties want to promote party unity, capture the interest and attention of the country at large, and generate support for the party’s ticket in the upcoming campaign

Public Opinion Public Opinion: those attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of government and politics These views must be expressed by a group of individuals Best measured through polls The voice of the people is supposed to express itself through the ballot box, but can change in between elections

Public Opinion Polls Polls: attempts to collect information by asking people questions Answer choices to issues-based polls will often be “in favor”, “against”, or “not sure/no opinion” Polls have difficulty measuring the intensity, stability, and relevance of the opinions they report

Due to the law of probability, 1,500 randomly selected adults accurately reflect the views of more than 200 million Americans. How is the margin of error related to sample size?

An NBC News pollster conducts an election exit poll An NBC News pollster conducts an election exit poll. Scientific polls are complex, require detailed planning, and can involve in-person or telephone interviews.

You can ask several questions to help evaluate a poll's findings You can ask several questions to help evaluate a poll's findings. Why is it important to read poll results critically?

This chart gives an example of the way the wording of a question can affect the results of a poll. In the example shown, how did the language used influence the responses?

Political Influences Family Educational experiences Children, early in their lives, acquire a basic slant toward such things as authority and rules of behavior, property, neighbors, people of other racial or religious backgrounds, and the like Educational experiences Social experiences and relations