1. Chapter 11 Section 1 Mr. Collins and Mrs. Kozlik CE 7c
Public Opinion
Chapter 11 Section 1
Mr. Collins and Mrs. Kozlik
CE 7c

2. What is Public Opinion?
Refers to the attitudes or opinions of a large group of people about a particular issue or person
The term is misleading because everyone does not agree on everything

3. Factors Affecting Public Opinion
Age, gender, income, hobbies, race, religion, and occupation
Public Officials – try to persuade people to support their positions in issues
Media – TV, newspapers, magazines

4. Media’s Influence on Public Opinion
Focuses public attention on selected issues
Offers a forum in which opposing viewpoints are communicated
Holds government officials accountable to the public
Helps government officials to communicate with the public

5. Measuring Public Opinion
Ways to measure public opinion
Look at election results – tells whether people are satisfied with what has happened before and what they consider important
Public Opinion Polls – question individuals to determine how most Americans feel about a particular issue

6. The Effect of Polls
Political Parties and news organizations frequently take political polls and then release the results to the public
Some feel that these polls not only measure public opinion, but also affect it
People often fail to vote since polls predict the winner weeks before the election

7. Review 1 Section 1: Public Opinion
Public opinion helps shape the decisions of government officials. 
A person’s background, the mass media, public officials, and interest groups all play a role in shaping public opinion.
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Review 1

8. M&C 1

9. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answer.
DFT1

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Is the cartoonist expressing a favorable or unfavorable opinion of lobbyists? How do you know?
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Time1

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Checking for Understanding
Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on the left.
__ 1. a survey in which individuals are asked to answer questions about a particular issue or person
__ 2. a mechanism of mass communication, including television, radio, newspapers, magazines, recordings, movies, and books
__ 3. a group of people who share a point of view about an issue and unite to promote their beliefs D
A. public opinion
B. mass media
C. interest group
D. public opinion poll
E. pollster B C
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Section 1-17

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Checking for Understanding (cont.)
Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on the left.
__ 4. the ideas and attitudes that most people hold about elected officials, candidates, government, and political issues
__ 5. a specialist whose job is to conduct polls regularly A
A. public opinion
B. mass media
C. interest group
D. public opinion poll
E. pollster E
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Section 1-18