Unit 3, Notes 3 THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC OPINION

Public Opinion – suggests that most American are of the same viewpoints, opinion on a particular subject Example: public opinion of Britney Spears  Politicians say “the people” want this or that  assuming the public holds same opinion  But its not that easy, public actually agrees on very little  Most issues don’t capture the attention of all Americans  especially in government  Probably find more people who have an opinion on on Brittany than on economy  So public opinion should be about public affairs…  events that concern many people  So public opinion then should be…  attitudes held by significant number of people on matters of government PUBLIC OPINION

Family and Education  Where we learn our public opinions  Starts first at home  this is where we hear our parents/guardians, political socializations starts here  Influences a child’s attitude toward government, race, religion, etc.  School  Start of school begins to break influence of family  Children are taught at school to respect flag, founding fathers and love for country PUBLIC OPINION, CONT.

Mass Media  Means of communication that reach large number at same time  Radio, TV, Internet, newspapers  Influence our opinions Peer Groups  Influence friends, coworkers Opinion Leaders  Any person who has strong influence on views of others  Celebrities, ministers, gov. leaders OTHER FACTORS

Ranked in terms of impact on the public 1)Television - reaches the most people (80% of population gets its news this way) - 3 major networks – NBC, CBS, ABC – recently added FOX, CNN, cable news channels - 24 hour news channels make news even more accessible FORMS OF MASS MEDIA

2) Newspapers – oldest form - newspapers can cover stories in more depth than TV news can - can also present different points of view (editorials) - provide more local news 3) Radio – FDR first major public figure to use it effectively for politics -most only devote a few minutes to news -just the headlines, or entertainment news -larger cities may have some all news channels -talk radio has become increasingly popular FORMS OF MASS MEDIA, CONT.

4) Magazines – most deal with special interests (ex: Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest, Seventeen) - 3 major news magazines = Time, Newsweek, US News and World Report - can go in depth, but on the issues they choose FORMS OF MASS MEDIA, CONT.

Media has great affect on politics in two main areas: 1)Sets the public agenda – as they report and talk the media determines what issues people will think and talk about - can focus the public attention on certain issues 2)Electoral Policies – candidates are less dependent on their party to get their word out - with TV, candidates can appeal directly to the people - politicians are very aware of the image the media presents - candidates plan things around TV exposure (Ex: timing, location, what they wear) MEDIA AND POLITICS

 News casts usually feature stories that are short, and show people doing something interesting  Show candidates in a soundbite = quick second excerpt or sometimes staged report Limits of Media Influence  Only a small part of the public pays close enough attention to political events  only small part understand what most of the media is talking about  Those that do pay attention are selective  they choose to pay attention to media sources that support their views  TV mostly entertains, radio only “skims” the news  Newspapers go in more detail, but most people read the sports or local news MEDIA AND POLITICS, CONT.

Historic Events  Influence public opinion  Example: Depression – changed way people viewed government  Many more people began to call for more government involvement in life  Shift in loyalty from Republican to Democrats  War – changes opinion OTHER FACTORS, CONT.