1. © 2010 Pearson Education Chapter 4 Public Opinion

2. Case Study: Gay and Lesbian Rights Among the most controversial subjects Supporters –Issue in terms of civil rights and human dignity –Should be treated equally Opponents –Against traditional family values –Against granting civil rights

3. Case Study: Gay and Lesbian Rights 89% equal rights for jobs 57% acceptable lifestyle 53% same-sex unions should not be acceptable by law

4. Public Opinion Consider your own beliefs. –How did you acquire them? –How do they influence your perceptions of political issues?

6. Political Socialization Political socialization –How individuals acquire political knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs –Lifelong process, although most scholarly focus has been on children and adolescents –Studies: children tend to personalize and idealize government

7. Political Socialization Agents of Socialization –Includes family school religion institutions peer groups media events –Political authorities often consciously try to shape public attitudes and beliefs.

9. Measuring Public Opinion The opinions of a large population, or universe –Measured based on interviews with a relatively small sample Sampling –Must be representative of that population, or universe –Biased samples not representative –Margin of error Related to sample size and bears on how poll results should be interpreted –Random sample Every member of the poll’s universe has just as much chance of being polled as any other member of the universe.

11. Measuring Public Opinion Question Wording –Some types of invalid questions Too complicated or too simple May be biased and tend to produce results too one-sided Certain subjects difficult to measure because of their controversial nature

13. Measuring Public Opinion –Attitudes, Non-Attitudes, and Phantom Opinions –Interviewer-Respondent Interaction –Timing

14. Measuring Public Opinion Surveys –Only a snapshot of public opinion on the day of the poll Content of Public Opinion –Consists of the combined personal opinions of adults toward issues of relevance to government

16. Measuring Public Opinion Attentive public –Refers to people who have an active and continuing interest in a particular political issue Political views –Held with varying degrees of intensity, and public opinion waxes and wanes

17. Political Knowledge Americans are poorly informed about politics and government. Political ignorance is especially widespread among younger adults.

19. Support for Democratic Principles Support the principles of majority rule and minority rights in the abstract –But opinions mixed when it comes to specific applications of these concepts Example: Americans favor civil liberties (such as freedom of speech) for groups they like; they oppose civil liberties for groups they dislike.

20. Political Trust and Political Legitimacy Political trust –Essential to political legitimacy in a democracy Political legitimacy –Popular acceptance of a government and its officials as rightful authorities in the exercise of power Declining trust in government officials – Contributes to a decline in political legitimacy

22. Political Efficacy For some Americans –Levels of internal political efficacy have risen over the last two decades. –Meanwhile, levels of external political efficacy have fallen dramatically. Political efficacy –The extent to which people believe they can affect the policymaking process

23. Political Philosophy More Americans say they are conservative than say they are liberal. The terms political left and political right are used to describe political ideology.

25. Political Philosophy Opinion Differences Among Groups –The views of Americans often vary depending on social class, race, religion, age, region, and gender. Social Class: Lower-income Americans are more liberal than middle- and upper- income people on some issues and more conservative on other issues.

26. Political Philosophy Opinion Differences Among Groups Race and Ethnicity –In general, African Americans and Hispanics hold more liberal views on economic issues than white Americans do. Religion –Religious values and affiliation with different religious denominations affect many Americans’ political views. Additionally, church attendance correlates with political participation.

27. Political Philosophy Opinion Differences Among Groups Generation – –Younger people are more tolerant than their elders, especially on issues such as women’s rights, civil rights for racial and ethnic minority groups, and gay and lesbian rights. Despite conventional wisdom, studies find no evidence that people grow more conservative as they grow older. Region – –Differences in political views among people from different geographical regions are less evident than they once were, but they still exist. Gender – –Studies have found major differences between men and women on a number of issues, particularly those concerning war and peace and spending on social programs.

28. Conclusion: Public Opinion and Public Policy Does public opinion affect public policy? –Public opinion establishes a zone of acquiescence. This is the range of policy options acceptable to the public on a particular issue. –Public opinion Affects policy not by dictating policy but by limiting options Usually only one of several factors affecting the public policy process

29. Conclusion: Public Opinion and Public Policy Public policymaking takes place within the socioeconomic and cultural context of American society. –Demographic changes can affect policymaking. –The performance of the economy affects policymaking. –America’s political culture helps set boundaries for the policy agenda and significantly affects policy formulation.