Chapter 7: Public Opinion

What is Public Opinion? Polling A poll (in the US) is the attempt to capture the opinions of 300 million citizens using as few as 1500 of them. A random sample is using no criteria, other than being an adult of voting age, to interview.

What is Public Opinion? Polling Sampling error refers to the difference between two surveys. Exit polls are interviews done randomly with voters while leaving voting areas; these tend to be very accurate.

What is Public Opinion? Differing Opinions Opinion saliency means that people care about certain issues more than others do. Opinion stability is trying to measure how much opinions swing or vary.

What is Public Opinion? Differing Opinions Opinion-policy congruence refers to how much of the public finds the topic important. Political socialization is the process by which personal and other background traits influence political views.

Political Socialization Influences Family is the number one influence. Religion Gender (referred to as the gender gap) Social Class

Political Socialization Influences Race & ethnicity Hispanics consistently vote Democrat. The one exception are Cubans who consistently vote Republican. Region

Political Socialization Political Ideology Political ideology is a consistent set of beliefs about government policies. Liberal v. Conservative

Political Socialization Political Ideology Political elites These are activists. More activists hold more extreme views on the political spectrum.

Public Policy John Zaller proved that elite views were critical to influencing the public’s attention and how those issues were debated. A norm is the standard of right and proper conduct. MLK Jr. being arrested in Montgomery, Alabama for loitering (1958).