1. Mass Media & Public Opinion

2. Influencing Public Opinion
Interest Groups
Public-Interest Groups
Lobbyists
Public opinion: ideas and attitudes a significant amount of Americans have about political issues

3. What is Public Opinion?
One of the most overused and misunderstood terms
A complex collection of opinions of many different people
Different Publics
Each “Public” care about different issues
Public affairs
events and issues that concern the people at large
Definition
Public opinion
Those attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of government and politics

4. Political Socialization
Political Socialization: Process of shaping one’s ideas and attitudes about government
Factors that Affect Political Views:
Family
Schools
Peers
Media

5. Family and Education
Public Opinion is formed through the life experiences
Political Socialization preformed by:
Family
Parents beliefs build a foundation of views on political beliefs in their children
The Schools
Used to indoctrinate students to become good citizens
Family and Schools not the only factors, but most significant

6. The Political Spectrum
People who have similar opinions on political issues are generally grouped according to whether they are “left,” “right,” or “center” on the political spectrum.

7. Measuring Public Opinion
Politicians monitor public opinion:
Letters
Talking to Constituents
Town hall meetings
Election results
Media
Polls

8. Mass Media Mass Media Peer Groups
Those means of communication that reach large, widely dispersed audiences (masses of people) simultaneously
TV and Internet the most common form of Mass Media
Peer Groups
Made up of the people with whom one regularly associates
friends, classmates, neighbors, and co-workers
reinforces what a person has already come to believe
most tend to share the same belief on public issues

9. Mass Media Television Newspapers Radio Magazines Internet
Most Americans get their news about government and political issues from:
Television
Newspapers
Radio
Magazines
Internet

10. Media Influence on the Public Agenda
Public Agenda: societal problems that political leaders and the general public agree need government attention
Media set agenda by choosing what to show and what not to show
Bias: liberal, conservative, moderate

11. Media Bias Types of Bias:
Advertising bias, when stories are selected or slanted to please advertisers.
Corporate bias, when stories are selected or slanted to please corporate owners of media.
Mainstream bias, a tendency to report what everyone else is reporting, and to avoid stories that will offend anyone.
Sensationalism, bias in favor of the exceptional over the ordinary, giving the impression that rare events, such as airplane crashes, are more common than common events, such as automobile crashes.

12. Other Factors Opinion Leaders Historic Events
Person who, for any reason, has an unusually strong influence on the views of others
Could be anyone who people believe and tend to follow
Historic Events
Great Depression led to the belief that the National Government should have a larger role in citizens lives
Events of the 1960’s and 70’s led to mistrust in the national government

13. Measuring Public Opinion Section 2

14. Scientific Polling
Polls are one of the most common means of gauging public opinion
Elections
Votes cast for the various candidates are regularly taken as evidence of the people’s approval
Mandate
instructions or commands a constituency gives to its elected officials
However an election very likely does not give mandates from the public

15. Scientific Polling Polls: ask voters for their opinions
Random sample: randomly chosen people up to a specified amount (usually 1500+)
Telephone interviews
Leading Questions vs. Scientific Questions
Margin of error: measures poll’s accuracy
Margin of error: 2%

16. Images affect attitudes
VS.
Case Study: (Vietnam War)

17. Media Influence on Elections
Presidents use the media to promote their policies and programs
Media plays a role in who is elected
How television shapes elections:
Little-known candidates can make an impact
TV ads reach more people than print
TV networks put more resources into covering front-runners in primaries

18. Measuring Public Opinion
Interest Groups
Private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape the making and the content of public policy
Chief means through which public opinion is made known
The Media
Considered many times as “mirrors” and/or “molders” of public opinion
However they are not very accurate mirrors of public opinion, often reflecting only the views of a vocal minority
Personal Contacts
Public Administrators receiving calls, mail, s, or through meetings
however tend to only find views that support and agree with their own views

19. POLLS Public opinion polls Straw Votes
Devices that attempt to collect information by asking people questions
Straw Votes
Polls that seek to read the public’s mind simply by asking the same question to a large number of people
however highly unreliable
does not make sure that the sample is an accurate cross-section of the population
1936 election and Library Digest mishap

20. Polling Process Defining the Universe Constructing a Sample
Universe means the whole population that the poll aims to measure
Constructing a Sample
To poll the entire universe is very difficult, and often impossible
Must select a sample
representative slice of the total universe
Random sample
a probability sample
Generally national polls only are represented by about 1,500 people
Mathematics tells us that 1,500 people selected randomly, can give you the probability to have an accurate poll (+/- 3%)
Quota sample
sample deliberately constructed to reflect several of the major characteristics of a given universe

21. Preparing Valid Questions Major National polls are fairly reliable
Wording can affect the reliability of any poll
try to avoid “loaded questions”
Major National polls are fairly reliable
Intensity
Strength of feeling of an opinion held
Stability
Relative permanence of opinion
Relevance
How important is the opinion
However, criticized for creating a “Bandwagon Effect”

22. Images affect attitudes
Vice President Nixon vs. newcomer John Kennedy
1st time presidential debate was televised
TV viewers thought Kennedy won, but radio listeners thought Nixon won.
Case Study: (1960 Election)

23. Media, Congress, & the Courts
Press Secretary
C-SPAN
Broadcast of state & local trials
Daily sessions for reporters at Federal trials

24. The Simpsons lampoons Fox News bias

25. The Role Of Media Medium is a means of communication Television
Media is plural for medium
TV, Newspaper, Internet, and magazines most prolific
Through Mass Media, most people receive their information
Television
Replaced newspaper as the principal source of political information for a majority of Americans in the early 1960’s
Newspapers
Once the strongest source of political information, however it’s influence has been diminished due to TV, radio and internet
Most, if not all newspapers, have their publications on the internet

26. The Role of Media (cont’d)
Radio
Still considered one of the top sources of information
Generally lean Republican
However, NPR leans Democratic
Magazines
Generally used by scholarly or educated individuals

27. The Media in Politics Public Agenda
The societal problems that political leaders and citizens agree need government attention
Ultimately the Media help influence those matters of concern to public-policy makers
Done by featuring certain items at different points
Media help determine what people should think about
Presidents currently receive a daily digest of the news reports and analysis

28. Limits on Media
Only a small part of the population actually is “well informed” for elections
Those who do pay attention, tend to only listen to reports from the political parties they tend to support
TV tends to share very little information about news due to the short amount of time
Left to report only what TV Editors deem most important
Overall, in depth information is tough to come by in just one of the mediums
Requires effort to read and analyze the information in each medium

29. Watchdog Groups Liberal Conservative
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)
Media Matters for America
Accuracy In Media
Media Research Center