1. What is political socialization and how might it influence a citizen’s participation in the democratic process? Political socialization is the complex process through which individuals learn their political beliefs and attitudes. Political socialization helps determine a person’s feeling of political efficacy. Those with high levels of feelings of political efficacy are more likely to get involved in the democratic process than those with low levels.

2. Why is being responsive to public opinion important in a democracy? In a democracy, the government should be responsive to the opinions of its citizens.

3. What factors influence an individual’s political attitudes and actions? An individual’s political attitudes are influenced by one’s family, home life, schools, peer groups, personal experiences, the mass media, government leaders, interest groups, and religious organizations.

4. Why are straw polls always a biased sample of the population? Straw polls area always a biased sample of the population because members are self-selecting rather than being chosen through scientific methods.

5. What nonscientific methods are commonly used to gauge public opinion? Nonscientific methods used to gauge public opinion include communications from political parties and interest groups; reporting in the mass media; letters, emails, and faxes from citizens; straw polls; and information presented on political websites, social networking sites, and blogs.

6. How does the process of scientific polling work? Scientific polling involves selecting a sample, asking questions that are phrased in an unbiased manner, and correctly interpreting the results of the poll.

7. What are the categories for interest groups? Categories include economic interest groups, public interest groups, civil rights groups, single-issue groups, ideological interest groups, faith based interest groups, professional interest groups, and government interest groups.

8. What are interest groups and are they an effective way for American citizens to participate in the political process? Interest groups are groups of people who share common goals and organize to influence government policies. They are an effective way for American citizens to participate in the political process.

9. Why do people join interest groups? People join interest groups for a variety of reasons including to protect or promote their economic interests, to help others, to change policy, or for social reasons.

10. What are the different ways that interest groups can be categorized? Interest groups can be categorized by membership size, the methods that they employ, or the goals that they have.

11. What is the difference between a lobbyist and a volunteer? A lobbyist is a paid representative of an interest group who contacts government officials on behalf of the interest group. A volunteer is someone who is not paid but works on behalf of an organization.

12. What impact do lobbyist have on public policy? Professional lobbyists work to influence all levels of government on behalf of interest groups. They provide useful information to legislators, draft legislation, try to prevent legislation from being passed, or support legislation important to their interest group.

13. How do interest groups use media to gain support for their issues? Interest groups use mass media campaigns to inform the public and gain public support for their positions. They also send policy experts to give interviews or represent their views at town hall meetings. Interest groups also use the internet and social media to inform the public. They ultimately use all of these avenues in order to affect public policy.

14. What role do political action committees (PAC’s) and Super PAC’s play in the U.S. political system? Political action committees provide most of the funds for election campaigns. They provide money directly to political candidates. Super PAC’s fund campaigns independently.

15. How effective are the methods used by PAC’s and Super PAC’s to influence political campaigns? The methods used by PAC’s and Super PAC’s seem to be effective ways to influence the outcomes of political campaigns. However, observers disagree as to whether members of Congress follow specific policies because of donations from PAC’s and Super PAC’s.

16. How does government use news releases and news briefings to communicate with the press and the public? The government uses news releases or ready-made stories, which can be published as is. They use news briefings to make announcements or explain policies, decisions, or actions. Briefings provide a chance for reporters to follow up with questions about news releases or follow up on leads from research. The president’s press secretary meets daily with the press to answer questions.

17. How has the relationship between the mass media and government changed over time? Digital media has made stories happen faster, forcing the government to react more quickly.

18. What is the relationship between the mass media and the three branches of government? The executive branch of the government provides the media with news releases, news briefings, including a daily briefing with the president’s press secretary, and occasionally press conferences. The mass media covers individual members of Congress and tends to be neutral or slightly positive while coverage of Congress as a whole tends to be negative focusing on conflict and deadlock. The Supreme Court receives less coverage because the justices rarely give interviews, never hold press conferences, staff avoid speaking with reporters, and the use of cameras or recording devices is restricted.

19. What role does the mass media play in setting the public agenda? The media’s role in setting the public agenda is to bring the social problems of America to the attention of the public and the government.

20. What was the fairness doctrine, and what have been the effects of its demise? The fairness doctrine was a rule requiring broadcasters to provide opportunities for the expression of opposing views on issues of public importance. Its demise led to a burst of syndicated radio talk shows in which commentators expressed strident political opinions.

21. How do the First Amendment and other laws protect the mass media? It states directly in the First Amendment that Congress may not make a law abridging the freedom of the press. The Freedom of Information Act, passed by Congress in 1966, requires federal agencies to release files to the public, unless the material falls into certain exceptions for national security or other confidential information.

22. Why are there restrictions on the media’s coverage of national security issues? There are restrictions because the government has a need for secrecy in matters of national security.

23. How do American citizens use the internet to participate in politics and government? American citizens use the internet to participate in politics and government by signing online petitions, contacting government officials via email or text, commenting on an online news story or blog post. “liking” or promoting information about political issues on social networks, sharing information about politics, and more.

24. How has the new interactivity of media changed the way information is accessed and shared? The new interactivity of media allows consumers of news to not only receive information, but to respond immediately to the information.

25. How has the internet created new challenges for public policy? The internet has created a need for new laws to cover such issues as offensive content, taxing e-commerce, and online privacy.