Unit 6 Notes
Unit VI – Public Opinion, Mass Media, Interest Groups
I.
Formation of Public Opinion
A. What is Public Opinion?
 Public opinion is a complex collection of the opinions of many different people –
it is the sum of all of their views.
1. Different Publics
 Many publics exist in the United States – How is each one made up?



Notice this important point: not many issues capture the attention of all –
or nearly all – Americans.
Public opinion includes only those views that relate to public affairs.
DEFINE public affairs
2. Definition
 Public opinion is so complex that it cannot readily be defined,
 A good definition would be those attitudes held by a significant number
of people on matters of government and politics.
 Public opinion can be expressed in a variety of ways - IDENTIFY
B. Family and Education
 Each of us learns our political opinions and we do so in a lifelong “classroom”
and from many different “teachers”.
 Public opinion is formed out of a very complex process and the factors involved
in it are almost infinite.
1. The Family
 Most parents (and family members) do not think of themselves as agents
of political socialization, however they are very important in this process.
 How can children learn politics from their family?

Children lay some important foundations on which they will later build
their political opinions.
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Unit 6 Notes
2. The Schools
 The start of formal schooling marks the initial break in the influence of
the family.
 From the first day, schools teach children the values of the American
political system.
 What is an important part of the educational system?
C. Other Factors
 Four other factors have a major place in the opinion making process:
1. Mass Media
 DEFINE mass media

Television is the best example of mass media – the Census Bureau reports
that at least 98% of the 120 million households have 1 TV in the house.
2. Peer Groups
 Peer groups are made up of the people with whom one regularly
associates. (friends, classmates, neighbors, co-workers)
 How can peer groups influence opinions?
3. Opinion Leaders
 What is an opinion leader?


Many hold public office, some write for newspapers or magazines, or
broadcast their views on radio or TV.
Opinion leaders also come from occupations or religious organizations.
4. Historic Events
 Historic events can have a major impact on the views of large numbers of
people and also on the content and direction of public policy.
 What did the Great Depression change the opinion of for many
Americans?

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Vietnam and Watergate produced a
dramatic decline in the American people’s trust in their government.
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Unit 6 Notes
II.
Measuring Public Opinion
A. Measuring Public Opinion
 Some effort must be made to measure public opinion; the following provide
some degree of means of measurement:
Measure
Elections
Interest
Groups
Description
When a party or candidate claims a
mandate, this refers to the instructions or
commands a constituency gives to its
elected officials.
Private organizations whose members
share certain views and work to shape the
making and the content of public policy.
Media
The media are frequently described as
“mirrors” as well as “molders” of
opinion.
Personal
Contacts
Members of Congress receive bags of
mail, 100s of phone calls and emails
everyday. They also conduct public
meetings.
Problem with:
B. Polls – The Best Measure
 Public opinion is best measured by public opinion polls – devices that attempt to
collect information by asking people questions.
1. Straw Votes
 Asking the same question of a large number of people to read the public’s
mind – these are still fairly common today, but they are not reliable.
 What is the problem with the straw vote?
2. Scientific Polls
 Serious efforts to take the public’s pulse on a scientific basis date from
the mid-1930s.
 Most of the more than 1000 scientific polls deal with commercial work,
but 200 deal with politics – What are among the best known?
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Unit 6 Notes
C. The Polling Process
 Scientific poll-taking is an extremely complex process that can best be described
in (5) basic steps:
1. Defining the Universe
 The ‘Universe’ is a term that means the whole population that the poll
aims to measure.
2. Constructing a Sample
 In most cases, it is not possible to interview a complete universe, so the
pollster must select a sample – representative slice of total universe.
 Most professional pollsters draw a random sample – How does this work?

1500 is the number of people usually interviewed for a national poll.
 What is the margin of error in these polls?
3. Preparing Valid Questions
 The way in which questions are worded is very important because the
wording can affect the reliability of any poll.
 How do reliable pollsters attempt to make valid questions?
4. Interviewing
 Most polls are taken face to face, but there is an increase in the amount of
telephone and mail polls.
 What is the important element in whatever method is used?
5. Analyze and Report Findings
 Scientific polling organizations collect huge amounts of data and use
technology to tabulate, interpret, and eventually publish the findings.
D. Evaluating Polls
 Most responsible pollsters are aware that their polls are far from perfect and
acknowledge that fact.
 Pollsters have a difficult time measuring the following:



Intensity =
Stability =
Relevance =
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Unit 6 Notes
III.
The Mass Media
A. The Role of Mass Media
 DEFINE medium
 The four major mass media (ranked in terms of impact) are: Television,
newspapers, radio and magazines
 The mass media are not part of the government, but they are an important force
in politics because people acquire most of the information about the government
from the various forms of media.
1. Television
 Replaced newspapers as the principal source of American political
information in the early 1960s.
 The major networks have dominated TV from its infancy: CBS, ABC,
and NBC.
 The major network’s audience share has been declining in recent years
and the challenge has come form (3) sources:
i.
ii.
iii.
2. Newspapers
 Rank second as the public’s primary source of information about
government and politics.
 What advantage does a newspaper have over TV?

Most papers are local ones, covering local stories, but technology is
changing this with on-line versions of major newspapers available.
3. Radio
 By the 1930s, the radio was a major entertainment medium and millions
of people planned their day around their favorite programs.
 President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first major public figure to use
radio effectively. (Fireside chats during the Depression).
 Many people felt that the arrival of TV would bring to an end the radio
as a major medium, but why has radio survived?
4. Magazines
 The progressive reform era in the early 1900s spawned several journals
of opinion, including articles by many leading muckrakers.
 3 news magazines Time, Newsweek, and US News and World Report have a
combined circulation of 10 million copies a week
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Unit 6 Notes
B. The Media and Politics
 Clearly the media play a significant role in American politics, but just how
significant that role is, is the subject of long, still unsettled debate.
 The media’s influence can be seen most visibly in (2) areas:
1. The Public Agenda
 The media play a large role in shaping the public agenda – DEFINE

The media determine to a vary large extent what public issues the people
will think and talk about
 They have power to focus peoples attention on a particular issue
2. Electoral Politics
 TV has made candidates for office less dependent on political parties
because with TV, they can appeal directly to the people.
 Candidates regularly try to manipulate media coverage to their
advantage (most people learn about a candidate from TV)
 What are sound bites and how do good campaign managers use them?
C. Limits on Media Influence
 A number of built in factors work to limit the media’s impact on the behavior of
the American voting public:
1. Few people follow national or local political events closely, so few people
understand what the media has to say about public affairs
2. Most people who pay attention are selective about the media the watch or
read – What does this mean?
3. Most TV programs have little or nothing to do with public affairs, more
people are interested in being entertained than being informed.
4. Radio and TV mostly ‘skim’ the news – What does this mean?
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Unit 6 Notes
IV.

The Nature of Interest Groups
Interest Group = private organization that tries to persuade public officials
to respond to the shared attitudes of its members.
A. The Role of Interest Groups
 Organized efforts to protect group interests are a fundamental part of the
democratic process.
 What are some synonyms for interest groups?
 Whatever the call themselves, the interests seek to influence the making and the
content of public policy.
 Where do these groups operate?
B. Political Parties and Interest Groups
 Political parties and Interest groups differ from each other in 3 striking respects:
1. In the making of nominations
 The parties nominate candidates for public office.
 What would happen if an interest group nominated a candidate?

Interests groups try to affect the outcomes of primaries and other
nominating contests by openly supporting a candidate.
2. In their primary focus
 Political parties want to win elections and control the government.
 What are interest groups concerned with?

Parties focus on candidates = Interest Groups on issues.
3. In the scope of their interests
 Political parties are concerned with the whole range of public affairs,
with everything of concern to voters.
 Interest groups always concentrate only on those issues that most directly
affect the interests of their members
 What about access to interest groups?
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Unit 6 Notes
C. Interest Groups: Good or Bad?
 Do interest groups pose a threat to the well being of the political system?
 Or are they a valuable part of the American political system?
1. Two Early Views
 James Madison warned against the dangers of “factions”, but why did he
feel that none would become a dominating influence?

Alex de Tocqueville was impressed by the vast number of organizations
he found in the United States.
2. Valuable Functions of Interest Groups
3. Criticisms
Help to stimulate public affairs – those
issues and events that concern the people
at large. Interest groups raise awareness
of public policy affairs.
Some interest groups have influence far
out of proportion with their size or
importance/contribution of the public
good.
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Unit 6 Notes
V.
Types of Interest Groups
A. An American Tradition

The United States has often been called a nation of joiners and no one really
knows how many associations exist in the US today.
 Interests groups are founded on a variety of ideas: economic (the most),
geographic, political, ideological or groups that promote its own welfare.
B. Groups Based on Economic Interests
 Most interest groups are formed on the basis of economic interests or the
manner in which people make their living.
1. Business Groups
 What is the oldest organized interest group still at work today?


Most segments of the business community also have their own interest
groups called trade associations. (there are 100s of them)
How come these business groups are not always together on issues?
2. Labor Groups
 A labor union is an organization of workers who share the same type of
job or who work in the same industry.
 They press the government for policies that will benefit its members.
 What has happened to the labor recently?


Organized labor generally speaks with one voice on such matters as
Social Security programs, minimum wages, and unemployment.
When does labor oppose labor?
3. Agricultural Groups
 Farmer’s influence on the government’s agricultural policies is and has
been enormous.
The National Grange
The Farm Bureau
The National Farmers Union
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Unit 6 Notes
4. Professional Groups
 Defined as those occupations that require extensive and specialized
training.
 How do they compare to the business, labor and farm groups?

(3) groups are, however, an exception to the rule:
 American Medical Association (AMA) – physicians
 American Bar Association (ABA) - lawyers
 National Education Association (NEA) - teachers
 Each of these organizations has a very real impact on public policies,
and at every level of government.
C. Other Interest Groups
 Groups that formed for reasons other than economic concerns also have a great
deal of political clout.
1. Groups That Promote Causes
 A large number of groups exist to promote a cause or an idea; here are
some of the major ones:
American Civil Liberties
Union
The Sierra Club
National Rifle Association
2. Organizations That Promote the Welfare of Certain Groups
 A number of interest groups seek to promote the welfare of a certain
segment of the population. (Their name usually indicates whom!)
 VFW (war veterans), NAACP (African Americans), and the AARP
(senior citizens)
3. Religious Organizations
 Religious organizations also try to influence public policy in several
important areas.
D. Public Interests Groups
 DEFINE public-interest group
 Among the best known and most active are Common Cause and several
organizations that make up Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen Inc.
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Unit 6 Notes
VI.
Interest Groups at Work
A. Influencing Public Opinion
 Interest groups regularly reach out to the public to accomplish one or all of (3)
major goals:
1. Supply the public with information an organization thinks the people should
have.
2. To build a positive image for the group.
3. To promote a particular public policy
B. Propaganda
 Interest groups try to create the public attitudes they want by using propaganda.
 DEFINE propaganda
 To be successful, propaganda must be presented in simple, interesting, and
credible terms.
 How do talented propagandists attack a policy they oppose?
 Using symbols (flags, Uncle Sam) and testimonials from TV stars or athletes are
often used.
 The bandwagon approach (follow the crowd) or the plain folks approach
(pretend to be with common people) are favorite techniques.
 How is propaganda spread?
C. Influencing Parties and Elections
 Leaders of interest groups know that political parties play a central role in
selecting those people who make public-policy decisions.
 How do interest groups attempt to influence the behavior of political parties?
 An interest group’s election tactics often have to involve some very finely tuned
decisions.
 If they support a candidate and that candidate loses, will there be backlash?
 How can interest groups help a candidate?
 Single-Interest Groups have grown rapidly in the past 20 years.
 These are PACs that communicate one issue (abortion, gun control, etc)
 What is the single-interest group’s focus?
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Unit 6 Notes
D. Lobbying
 Lobbying is usually defined as those activities by which group pressures are
brought to bear on legislators and the legislative process.
 Realistically, lobbying includes all of the methods by which group pressures
are brought to bear on all aspects of the public policy-making process.
 Nearly all of the important organized interests have lobbyists in Wash. DC.
1. Lobbyists at Work
 What is the major task for a lobbyist?


A lobbyist’s effectiveness depends in large part on his/her knowledge of
the political system – many are former legislatures or lawyers.
Most lobbyists know how to bring “grass-roots” pressure to bear. What
are Grass roots?

Several interests groups publish ratings of members of Congress – these
rankings are based on votes cast on measures crucial to their interests.
 Use the mass media to publicize these ratings.

Why do lobbyists want to be as accurate and honest as possible?
2. Lobby regulation
 Lobbying abuses do occur now and then, false or misleading testimony,
bribery and other unethical pressures do happen from time to time.
 First attempt to regulate lobbying was in 1946 with the Federal
Regulation of Lobbying Act – big loophole made it ineffective.
 What are the (3) major provisions of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of
1995?
i.
ii.
iii.
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