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Chapter 6: Public Opinion
Public Opinion
• In a democracy, government policy is
suppose to follow public opinion.
• Yet the history of capital punishment in
America shows that government policy may
resist public opinion.
• Democratic theory implies that government
leaders are able to ascertain what the public
is thinking about current political and social
issues.
Statistical Sampling Theory
• Sampling theory has made it possible to be
better informed about the distribution of the
population’s belief and attitudes about
politics and government.
– Modern survey research methodology allows
national opinion to be estimated within specific
degrees of accuracy
Government Policy and Public
Opinion
• Knowing how often government policy runs
against majority opinion, it becomes harder
to defend the U.S. government as
democratic under the majoritarian view of
democracy.
• To evaluate the role of public opinion in
U.S. government, we need to know more
about how opinions are distributed and how
citizens acquire their opinions.
Public Opinion
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Political Values
How We Form Political Opinions
Measuring Public Opinion
Public Opinion and Democracy
The Citizen’s Role
Public Opinion
• A term used to denote the values and
attitudes that people have about issues,
events, and personalities.
• Values--are a person’s basic orientations to
politics. They are deep rooted goals,
aspirations, and ideas that shape an
individual’s perceptions of political issues
and events.
Public Opinion Matters!
Political Awareness
• Democracy assumes an informed and
interested public
• Yet, Americans lack any real political
knowledge
• Can you name the president, your members
of Congress, the Justices of the U. S.
Supreme Court?
• Political knowledge is the foundation for
politically active society
Student Interest in Politics
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Politics Important
Frequently Dicussed
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An Opinionated Public
• Americans possess a
wide range of opinions
on political matters
• This is particularly true
for salient issues
• Salient issues are those
issues that are important
to that individual
What is Public Opinion?
• Public opinion is the
term used to denote
beliefs and attitudes
that people have about
issues, events, and
personalities
• We need to understand
what factors shape
public opinion
Political Ideology
• Political Ideology is a cohesive set of
beliefs that form a general philosophy about
the role of government.
• In the United States the ideological divide is
between conservatism and liberalism.
The Formation of Public Opinion
• Attitudes about political issues and
personalities tend to be shaped by underlying
beliefs and values
• The process through which these beliefs and
values are formed is called political
socialization
• SOCIALIZATION
– THE PROCESS THROUGH WHICH A
PERSON LEARNS OF VALUES, BELIEFS,
AND OPINIONS
• AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
– FAMILY
• THE FIRST AND PROBABLY THE MOST
IMPORTANT AGENT
– SCHOOL
• A LOT OF HIDDEN CURRICULUM ITEMS
WHICH ATTEMPT TO “INCULATE” GOOD
CITIZENSHIP VALUES IN THE PERSON
OTHER AGENTS
• RELIGION
– MANY OF A PERSON’S VALUES AND BELIEFS
ABOUT POLITICS CAN ORIGINATE IN RELIGIOUS
TRAINING
• GENERATIONAL EFFECTS
– IMPORTANT EVENTS CAN AFFECT THE VIEWS OF
PERSONS WHO LIVED THROUGH THEM
• LIFE-CYCLE EFFECTS
– GETTING OLDER MAY HELP SHAPE A PERSON’S
POLITICAL OPINIONS
• MEDIA INFLUENCE
– MASS MEDIA CAN INFLUENCE OUR VIEWS ON
POLITICAL ISSUES
Family
• Most people acquire
their initial
orientations toward
government from their
family
• Differences in family
background, opinions,
child-rearing will
ultimately affect your
political and social
values and beliefs
Social Groups
• Involuntary
– Gender
– Race
• Voluntary
– Political Parties
– Labor Unions
– Occupational Groups
Education
• Education used to convey a common set of
civic values
• Yet, schools are often seen as “boot camps” as
they stress order and compliance
• College education stresses participation and
democratic values
Religion
Political Conditions
• Historical and cultural
events that occur
during your life will
shape your world view
• Students of the 1960s
have a different
perspective than
students of the 1990s
The Media
From Political Values to
Ideology
• An Ideology is a set of
underlying orientations,
ideas and beliefs
• Liberals generally
support social reform
and a social safety net
• Conservatives generally
prefer the social and
economic status quo
Self Identification
Profile of a Liberal
• Advocates increasing taxes for the wealthy
• Advocates a “Right to Food Policy” to
make available a nutritionally balanced diet
for all U.S. citizens.
• Advocates higher salaries for teachers, more
college grants and loans, and doubling the
federal education budget
Profile of a Liberal
• Favors foreign assistance programs
designed to wipe out hunger and starvation
throughout the world.
• Advocates the establishment of a national
health care program for all citizens.
• Advocates dramatic expansion of federal
social and urban programs.
Profile of a Conservative
• Wants to trim the size of the federal
government and transfer power to state and
local governments.
• Favors prayer in school
• Opposes gay right legislation
• Opposes affirmative action.
• Favors making most abortions illegal.
Profile of a Conservative
• Supports programs that would allow
children and parents more flexibility in
deciding what schools to attend.
• Would eliminate some environment
regulations.
• Opposes U.S. participation in international
organizations.
The ideological conundrum
• Liberal
• Conservative
How We Form Public Opinion
• Political Knowledge
• The Influence of
Political Leaders,
Private Groups, and
the Media
How We Form Political Opinions:
Questions
• What influences the way we form political
opinions?
• How are political issues marketed and
managed by the government, private
groups, and the media?
Political Knowledge
• Political activity is a
function of awareness
and interest
• The lack of political
knowledge can lead to
inconsistencies between
beliefs and opinions
• Political efficacy is the
belief that you have an
ability to influence
government and politics
The Influence of Political Leaders,
Private Groups and the Media
• Government and
Public Opinion
• Private Groups and
Public Opinion
• The Media and Public
Opinion
Government and Public Opinion
• All governments
attempt to influence,
manipulate, or manage
their citizens beliefs
• Nationalism and
encouraging
participation allow
citizens to buy into the
system
Political Trust
Confidence in Institutions
Private Groups and Public
Opinion
• Interest groups also
attempt to mobilize the
public to support their
issues and put pressure
on government
officials
The Media and Public Opinion
• The communication
media are among the
most powerful forces
operating in the
market place of ideas
Measuring Public Opinion
• Constructing Public
Opinion From Surveys
• Public Opinion,
Political Knowledge,
and the Importance of
Ignorance
Measuring Public Opinion:
Questions
• How can public
opinion be measured?
• What problems arise
from public opinion
polling?
Constructing Public Opinion
from Surveys
• Public opinion polls are scientific
instruments for measuring public opinion
• To be accurate, the poll must be based on a
representative sample of the population
• The validity of the poll depends on the
sampling procedure used
• 1,500 samples are needed for a national
survey
Public Opinion Analysis
• Public opinion can be analyzed according to
the shape and stability of the distribution of
opinions among citizens.
• The shape of the distribution refers to the
pattern or physical form of the responses
when counted and plotted.
Skewed Distribution
Capital Punishment
Consensus Opinion
Bimodal Distribution
Abortion
Divisive Opinion
Normal Distribution
Political Ideology
Problems with Polls
• The Good Citizen
Response
• The Bandwagon
Effect
• Inconsistent
Responses
• Survey Wording
Public Opinion, Political
Knowledge and Ignorance
• The lack of political
knowledge and
problems with polling
weaken the validity of
some polls
• We know more now
about the lack of
political awareness
Public Opinion and Democracy:
Do You Make a Difference?
• Americans lack a sense
of political efficacy (a
feeling that they make
difference in the way
government works)
• Is government
responsive to public
opinion?
The Citizens Role
• The public must gather
information and become
knowledgeable
• This can be done rather
easily through an active
media
• The role of the media
will be examined in the
next chapter
PUBLIC OPINION
• PUBLIC OPINION
– THE AGGREGATE OF ATTITUDES AND
OPINIONS OF INDIVIDUALS ON
ISSUES
– SURVEY RESEARCH
• GATHERING TECHINIQUE FOR
COLLECTING DATA BY ASKING A
REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF THE
POPULATION
– PROBLEMS WITH COLLECTING DATA
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HALO EFFECT
INCONSISTENCIES IN RESPONSES
INSTABILITY SINCE ITS “OFF THE CUFF”
SALIENCE SINCE ISSUES ARE IMPORTANT
OTHER FACTORS WHICH MAY
LEAD TO VARIATION IN OPINION
• GENDER AND OPINION
– GENDER GAP REFERS TO A
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION BETWEEN
MEN AND WOMEN
• RACE AND OPINION
– DIFFERENCES IN OPINION CAN EXIST
BETWEEN RACES
THE RIGHT TO VOTE
• SUFFRAGE
– THE STRUGGLE FOR GROUPS TO GAIN THE LEGAL RIGHT
TO VOTE
• IMPORTANT EVENTS
– ELIMINATION OF PROPERTY QUALIFICATIONS, 1800-1840
• BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, WHITE MALES OVER 21 YEARS OF
AGE COULD VOTE
– FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT, 1870
• THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR BLACKS
– THE NINETEENTH AMENDMENT, 1920
• THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR WOMEN
– THE TWENTY-SIXTH AMENDMENT, 1971
• THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR 18 YEAR OLDS
– THE NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION ACT, 1993
• ENSURING PEOPLE HAVE THE CHANCE TO REGISTER AND
TO STAY ON REGISTRATION LISTS ONCE THERE
VOTER TURNOUT
• TURNOUT
– THE NUMBER OF ACTUAL
VOTERS IN RELATION TO THE
NUMBER ELIGIBLE TO VOTE
• THE RATIONAL VOTER
– A VOTER MAY FEEL THAT HE OR
SHE SHOULD VOTE IF THE VOTE
WILL HAVE SOME
MEASUREABLE IMPACT OR
VALUE
• VOTER REGISTRATION
– THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A
“VOTING ID,” IS STILL
PROBLEMATIC IN AMERICA
FIGHTING FOR VOTES
• THE STIMULUS OF COMPETITION
– THE MORE LIVELY THE DEBATE BETWEEN PARTIES,
THE MORE PARICIPATION IS DRUMMED UP
• POLITICAL ALIENATION
– DEVELOPING AN APATHY TOWARD POLITICS IN
GENERAL
• INTENSITY
– ONE’S SOCIALIZATION EXPERIENCE HELPS
INTENSIFY OR DIMINISH A PERSON’S ATTITUDE
TOWARDS VOTING
• EXPLAINING TURNOUT IN AMERICA
– INCREASING DISTRUST OF SYSTEM
– YOUNG PEOPLE TEND NOT TO VOTE
– LACK OF STRONG POLITICAL MACHINERY WITHIN
THE SYSTEM
ACTIVISM AND PROTEST
• CITIZEN ACTIVIST
– PEOPLE WHOSE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
EXTENDS BEYOND VOTING TO OTHER
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
• PROTESTING CALLS ATTENTION TO
SOCIAL ISSUES, MOTIVATES OTHERS
INTO ACTION, AND APPLIES PRESSURE
ON PUBLIC OFFICIALS
– CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
• A FORM OF PUBLIC PROTEST INVOLVING THE
BREAKING OF LAWS BELIEVED TO BE UNJUST
– VIOLENCE
• ASSASSINATIONS, RIOTING, LOOTING, ETC.
Fundamental Values
• Americans generally
share the core values
of liberty, equality and
democracy
• But note, that our
understanding of what
these values represent
may differ
• For example, we may
disagree on what
equality means
Forms of Disagreement
• American public
opinion, however, is
characterized by
vigorous debate on a
wide range of political
issues
• For example, should
there be limits on
racist or sexist speech?