1. Public Opinion
Chapter 7

2. Public Opinion and Constitutional Underpinnings
There is a disconnect between what the people want and the policy that is enacted by our elected representatives
The framers of the Constitution did not intend for the government to always do what the people wanted.
Form a more perfect union
Establish justice
Ensure domestic tranquility
Provide for common defense
Promote the general welfare
Secure the blessings of liberty
Is this for the people, by the people like Lincoln suggests?

3. Federalism and Public Opinion
The framers did not believe there could just be one public opinion
Competing factions would = many different public opinions
Checks on public opinion
Representative government, federalism, separation of powers, Bill of Rights, independent judiciary
Protecting the people from themselves
Protecting the minority from tyranny of the majority
Do you agree with the framers? Do we need to be protected from ourselves or from the majority?

4. Polling
Polls cannot give us a clear understanding of the overall public opinion unless they are done using random sampling
Any given voter or adult has an equal chance of being interviewed
Sampling Errors – difference in2 polls on the same issue conducted using random sampling
Most accurate polls are exit polls
Polls conducted at voting booths on election day

5. Political Socialization
Opinion Saliency
Some care more about certain issues
Opinion Stability
Opinions steady on certain issues, but volatile on others
Opinion-Policy Congruence
Some government policies match opinion, others do not
Genes and the family:
About ½ of our political views come from our base personality(40%) and parental influence (10%)
Other ½ from personal experiences
Political beliefs do not equal party affiliation
Genes don’t really affect party affiliation (learned from parents and experiences)
Youth are less partisan
Religion
Also a family tradition
Opinions pronounced with social issues – abortion, gay marriage
Gender Gap
Men deserting democrats in favor of Republicans

6. What separates us? Class differences Region Race and ethnicity
Upper-class v. working-class
Differences in class voting has declined in recent years
Unskilled workers more likely to be democrats, white-collar – republicans
Economy isn’t only determining issue – some white-collar lean left because of social issues
Region
Southerners more likely to be conservative on social issues compared to the Coasts
Not Attached to Democratic party
Coasts generally more supportive of liberal ideals and the democratic party
Race and ethnicity
African-Americans overwhelming democrat – younger ones more closely identify with republicans
Latinos now largest minority group
However, public opinion studies on Latino and Asian- American opinion are rare
Polls in California say that Latinos widely identify as Democrat, but less so than African-Americans and Asian-Americans identify more with Republican party than Anglo-White voters
There is polarization among Asian-Americans and Latinos
Local conditions also affect their views
Are you surprised by any of these demographics? Why or why not?

7. Political Ideology
A consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue
i.e. liberal, conservative, socialist, radical, moderate
Ideological self-identification surveys show
37-40% - conservative or moderate
20% - Liberal
However, most people do not think of their opinions in an ideological way

8. Political Elites
The terms liberal and conservative do capture the political views held by our political elites
People with a disproportionate share of political power
Elected officials, campaign workers, journalists, interest groups, activists
These people usually stick to the conventional conservative- liberal spectrum
Think back to the “Bipolar Disorder” Article – Who do you think the elites represent?

9. Review