CH 8 Forming Public Opinion
pp. 208-233
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• In order to do its job, the government must
know what is important to the American
public.
• It must watch and listen to the people and the
media
• It must weigh the direction of events
• Only then can it debate and decide policies to
deal with public needs.
• Public Affairs
• 208 politics, public issues,
making of public policy
EC: What might be a public affairs issue
today? (1 for each)
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Social:
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Military
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Use of drones (surveillance and attack) in the US
Spying on US citizen communications
Dealing with domestic terror
Cyber attacks on US internet
Economic:
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Use of drones (surveillance and attack)
North Korea
Dealing with foreign terror
Cyber attacks on US internet
Russian and Chinese aggression in their parts of the world.
National Security
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LGBTQ marriage/equality
Abortion
Religious right to deny fair labor rights
Open-carry and stand-your-ground gun laws.
immigration
unemployment.
Job creation
Minimum wage
Health:
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Parental right NOT to vaccinate their child(ren)
Affordable health care for all Americans
Right to choose NOT to vaccinate one’s children
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Entertainment:
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Sports:
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Smoking in movies
Use of steroids by athletes
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• Much public opinion is started by the media,
planned and unplanned.
Public opinion
• 209 Thoughts many people in common have
about what their government and politicians are
and should be doing.
• Views on things like:
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Political parties/candidates
taxes
Unemployment
Welfare programs,
National defense
Foreign policy
Opinion leader
• 212 Any person who has a strong influence on
the way many Americans think.
– Politicians
– Media commentators/pundits
– Entertainers/athletes
– Single-issue personality
Mass media
• 211 means of communication that can reach
large, far-flung audiences at the same time.
– Brochures, pamphlets
– Newspapers
– Radio
– TV
– Internet
– Twitter
mandate
• 216 idea that the winner of an election has
been given permission to rule everyone in the
country.
• Implies that the majority are satisfied
• Implies that opposition be silent and not
oppose that leader.
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• The people (business, private groups)
themselves also make conscious pushes to
promote and achieve their special interests
Interest group
• 216 private organizations with members who share the same
political thinking or views.
– They use their money to sponsor ads, help candidates and parties
– They spread the word to their members to take action
• How to vote
• Aka:
• pressure groups,
• special interest groups
– Nov, 2011 GOP Presidential candidates woo the Jewish vote.
– EC: What Jewish interest group were they speaking to?
• American Jewish Republicans who support Israel.
Polls
• Sample
• 218 The group a polling person selects to get an idea
of what all people are thinking.
• Straw vote
• 217 pollster asks as many people as possible the
same questions and writes the results.
– Little or no arrangement or organization is made.
• Radio talk show
• Movie line sample
Polling
• Random sample
• 218 pollster interviews a group selected by chance,
in places also selected by chance.
– Based on mathematical law of probability.
– Most common type of poll
• Has proven the most reliable
• Quota sample
• 219 planned grouping based on ethnic/gender/socioeconomic percentages;
– Not as reliable since many people do not fit one category.
Public agenda
• 228 The national, state, local issues that
politicians and general society believe need
government attention…..
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Financial regulation
LGBTQ rights/marriage
Undocumented aliens
Terrorism preparation and response
Affordable Care Act (Jimmy’s street poll points out
public awareness (remember, the media use the
interesting/allowed bits, not every response is shown)
– Etc.
Sound bite
• 230 short quotes used in news reports and
ads
– Some become memorable/infamous
• Franklin Roosevelt – Depression
• John F. Kennedy – Country
• Ronald Reagan -- thought mic was off.
Medium
• Any means that passes a message from a
source to a viewer/listener
– TV
– Newspaper
– Radio
– Magazine
– Internet
Egypt
• Just how influential are Internet/Smart phone social media?
• The woman who is credited with spawning the demonstrations
against the Mubarak Regime with an impassioned call to viewers
and the world…..
• Another woman speaks on Jan. 31
– The first sign says "Down with the dictatorial regime"
– the second says "Little is remaining" meaning we are so close to our goal.
– the third one on cardboard says: "Leave so that the martyrs' families can
restand their chest pain be relieved".
– fourth: "Every egyptian, go and hang on your house door - WE DON'T
WANT YOU"
– Hope that was helpful - PROUD TO BE EGYPTIAN
• Mubarak’s speech one night
• The next day after Mubarak’s response.
Hwk Concepts, Class Work, to Know
Concepts: Ch. 8, pp. 208-233
• EC: How might young children be
politically socialized? (3)
– 208 families
– Experience in school
– Mass media
EC: What evidence can you give that the mass media
have access to influence public opinion?
• 208 The Number of in-home/personal
– TVs,
– radios,
– computers,
– smart phones
EC: Why are interest groups uncertain gauges
for measuring public opinion?
• 215 number of people represented by polled
persons is unknown
– Strength of views held is also unknown
EC: What is the major problem with a
straw vote poll? (2)
• 215 relies on quantity rather than quality of
the sample
– Does not guarantee an accurate cross-section of
the population
EC: Why is the random sample considered a fairly
accurate representation of public opinion? (3)
• 215 It relies on the law of probability
– Properly selected groups
– Small and predictable margin of error.
EC: For what reasons is public opinion
measured? (2)
• 215 so it can have an influence on public
policy
– Part of a true democracy
EC: Why is the Internet considered a
medium?
223 transmits messages and information to
many, on-demand, rapidly.
EC: How do the media influence the
public agenda? (3)
• 223 Help determine public issues that concern most
people
– Focus broadcasts on those issues
• Can repeat as often as needed
– Influence public-policy makers viewing broadcasts
• Polls
• Editorials
• “debates”
– EC: What is the main principle behind using the courts even though the
majority of voters wanted a law passed to stop that law from going into
effect?
– EC: What is the main principle behind keeping the courts out of laws
made by local majority will?
– Same-sex marriage
EC: How do the media influence the
public agenda? (3)
• EC: What is the main principle behind using the
courts even though the majority of voters wanted
a law passed to stop that law from going into
effect?
– Majority-will laws can take away a citizen’s private
Constitutional rights
• EC: What is the main principle behind keeping
the courts out of laws made by majority will?
– Court decisions can take away the Constitutional
rights of the “majority” to protect themselves through
legislation in their locality.
Ex: power of media on public opinion and
public agenda-•
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Jon Stewart, on a cable comedy show, decided to speak out on a bill in late 2010.
The bill was to provide a multi-billion dollar fund for first-responders to the 9/11
attack sites in New York and Washington, DC.
– Many of the workers, only 9 years later are experience accelerated debilitating and fatal
diseases from the many substances they were exposed to for quite a while after the
event.
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Republicans, who talked about patriotism and how they defended this nation after
9/11, and even claimed support for the people who bravely responded to save
lives on 9/11, unanimously voted ‘NO’ on the bill.
– Saying it was too expensive.
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Stewart raised some points with his audience.
– The video went viral, beyond his cable show and web page.
– The regular press picked it up and repeated the story…..
– People got angry and wrote to their representatives…..
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The vote was retaken and Republicans amazingly vote ‘YES’ and approve the exact
same bill into law…..
That is media influence on the public agenda…..
EC: What limits are there on media
influence? (4)
• 223 most people do not follow it closely
– Audience selects sources
– Content often based on entertainment value
– Coverage is often not in-depth
Images: CH 8
• 209, spectrum questions
• a.
• Liberals tend to support expansion of social
welfare
• Conservatives oppose the expansion and favor
less government
– Want traditional social structure
• b.
• variable
Images: CH 8
• 209, (cartoon) question
• Though the political spectrum may be seen as
very broad, most Americans don’t see huge
differences in the points on it.
Images: CH 8
• 212, question,
• 98% of American households have TV sets.
• + Is TV the main way campaigns reach people?
Explain.
• Variable (radio another common tool)
• + what is missing?
– Billboards,
– yard signs
Images: CH 8
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214: questions
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Hispanics have a half-trillion dollar purchasing power
2.
Issues important to Hispanics will get more publicity
– Public opinion is shaped by extended coverage
• 3.
• They might look for work where other Hispanics are.
– Others might seek bilingual opportunities.
Images: CH 8
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219: questions
A.
Question 1
B.
2 & 3 are the same, their wording produced
vastly different results,
– suggesting bias.
Images: CH 8
• 221: questions
• A.
• that people believe participating in polls is
more important than voting
• B.
• refutes it, by saying that public opinion can
not replace voting in a democracy.
Images: CH 8
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233: questions
30.
presidential candidates
31.
that it reduces debate to simple name-calling.
Images: CH 8
• 225: questions
• Although the Internet has grown in the last
few years, other media still are effective in
news and opinion dissemination
– Most likely:
• Radio
• TV
Images: CH 8
• 226: questions
• Increase in the number of radio stations may
provide more opportunities for spreading new
messages
– Language
– Age
– Ethnicity
What basic emotions to the media makers
use to make the point, x3 (3 pts/each)
• Write at least three emotions, cite an example
from a commercial (must be a different
commercial for each).
• Once you identify one emotion, do not use it
again from another ad.
• 6 points total = 3 emotions/examples.
Political Ads
• Candidate
– LBJ (run once, but made
people fear Barry Goldwater)
– Hillary (implying Obama was
not experienced to handle an
international emergency)
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Tim James
Vernon Robinson
Sharron Angle
Dan Fanelli; 2
• PAC/Outside group
– NRA (National Rifle
Association)
What basic emotions to the media
makers use to make the point (6)
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Fear
Cynicism
Trust
Patriotism
Racism
Hate/intolerance
Maybe you something distinctly different?
What makes public opinion so difficult to
ascertain?
• Public opinion is hard to determine because
there are so many topics and issues on which
people can hold opinions and so many
different groups and categories to which each
person can belong.
– People can change their opinions suddenly.
– People sometimes even hold contradictory
opinions without realizing it.
How can an opinion held by the public NOT
be a public opinion?
• The definition of the term public opinion
requires that the opinion be related to
political or governmental attitudes, not to
attitudes about other aspects of life.
– Many people can believe that cats are the best
pets, but since the belief does not affect public
policy, it cannot be called a public opinion.
The text states that election results are seldom an accurate measure of
public opinion. Explain why you agree or disagree with this
statement.
• Because so many factors influence voting, it is
impossible to know for sure.
– Many issues other than public opinion affect
whom a voter will vote for in an election.
– Party identification and personal preference may
draw a vote that is not based on issues.
Brief response
• What form of media do most people your age
get their public awareness from? Cite a
current example of a public issue you are
aware of through this medium.