1. Chapter 8
Section 2

2. Measuring Public Opinion
Elections create a mandate for the elected.
Interest groups are a means by which public opinion is made known.
The media can create public opinion.
Public officials can get a gauge on public opinion through contact with the people.

3. Polls Polls provide the best information of public opinion.
Straw votes aren’t reliable due to false assumptions.
Today’s famous polls are the Gallup Poll and the Harris Survey.

4. The Polling Process
You must first define the population that the poll aims to measure.
Then you need to find an accurate sample of the universe.
Questions must be worded in a way that wouldn’t influence answers.
The interviewing must be done in a consistent way.
The information collected must be compiled in a consistent way.

5. Evaluating Polls Most polls are fairly reliable.
Its hard to measure the intensity of opinions.
Sometimes pollsters shape public opinion.

6. Limits on Public Opinion
Public opinion doesn’t necessarily shape how the government works.
The government works to protect the voice of the minority.