1. Ch. 6: Public Opinion & Ideology
Public opinion in a democracy

2. Political Socialization
Family
Schools
Religious & Civic Organizations
Reference groups:
Primary
Secondary
Mass Media

3. Party Identification At least 60% of Americans identify with a party
This psychological attachment significantly affects voters’ perceptions of issues and candidates
Parties try to reinforce this attachment – party registration, e.g.
Past 30 years have seen an increase in “Independents,” at the expense of the parties
Party ID still the best single predictor of vote

4. Measuring Public Opinion
Varies by
Direction
Intensity
Saliency
Stability

5. Measuring Public Opinion
Samples and Universes
Random Sampling
Literary Digest: cars, telephones, & FDR
Sample size & margin of error
Question wording
Loaded wording – see example, p. 187
Open- and closed-ended questions
“Non-attitudes”

6. Do polls affect opinions?
Bandwagon effect? Mixed evidence
Do polls mobilize or demobilize voters?
Exit polls & election-night reporting

7. Are we paying attention?
Does policy reflect opinion?
Attentive publics
Domestic vs. foreign policy awareness

8. Political Culture Shared values: Liberty Equality Individualism
Majority rule
Popular sovereignty
Rule of law
Optimism

9. Political Subcultures
Daniel Elazar – 3 political subcultures:
Moralistic: Emphasis on civic duty, solving problems collectively.
Individualistic: Politics is a competitive marketplace; reps fight for their people.
Traditionalistic: Keep the status quo; people defer to the ruling elites.

10. Political Ideology Liberalism Conservatism Libertarianism
Traditional conservatives
Social conservatives
Libertarianism

11. Ideology in practice Ideologies as symbols
Converse and the study of “belief systems”
Are there any ideologues (outside talk radio)?