1. Shaping Public Opinion
7th Grade Civics
Miss Smith
*pgs

2. Public Opinion and How it is Shaped
The opinions of the citizens can influence the government

3. Public Opinion is Many Opinions
Each issue has many opinions held by different groups
Each group makes up the “public”, therefore public opinion refers to many opinions
Opinions are shaped by:
Family
Friends
New ideas
Teachers
Clubs

4. Information and Public opinion
Mass media helps citizens form their opinions and comes in many forms such as:
Books, magazines, TV, and the internet
Having access to this info does not make you well informed
You must think critically about what you see, hear, and read

5. Propaganda Shapes Public Opinion
Propaganda- ideas spread to influence people

6. Concealed propaganda Presented as fact and its sources are kept secret
Used to fool people without letting them know it’s purpose to influence their views

7. Revealed Propaganda
Makes readers or listeners aware that someone is trying to influence them
Examples:
Commercials for various products that companies want you to buy
Campaign videos that are labeled as paid advertisements by certain organizations

8. Propaganda Techniques
Testimonials- Endorsements by athletes, famous people, etc.
By law, the testimonials people give in advertising must be true
Bandwagon- saying something loud and often enough that people believe it
More and more people will join in because people they know have
Name Calling- Describing someone or something in a negative or unpleasant way

9. Propaganda Techniques
Glittering Generalities- saying things that sound good, but mean little to nothing
Plain-Folks Appeal- candidates try to show they are just regular people and can relate to others
Card Stacking- using facts that only support one side of a product, idea, or candidate

10. Measuring Public opinion
This is done by conducting polls or surveys