Agenda
• Give out Study Guide
• Where do you stand?
discussion
• Notes Public Opinion/
Socialization
• Notes Ideology
• World’s Smallest Pol. Quiz
• Notes Polling
• Colbert Clip
• HW: Rdg. Ch. 10 +
Reapportionment Article
Political Culture
• Def: set of widely shared political beliefs and values
• Values/Beliefs about Political System
– Liberty
– Equality-oppurtunity/due process/equal protection
– Individualism (limits on this?)
– Democracy/Pop. Consent
– Civic Duty
– Justice
– Nationalism/Idealism
• If ideals shared, why so much conflict?
Sources of Pol. Culture
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Experience with British: mistrust authority/power
Political Parties/Linkage Institutions
Religious Diversity
Family Values
Class
Inherent conflict
– Personal freedom v. control
– Majority v. minority rights
Where Do You Stand?
• War in Afghanistan
• National Security
• Rights of Terror
Suspects
• Nuclear Weapons
• Immigration
• Gun Control
• Debt
• Campaign Finance
• Policy Towards Iran/N.
Korea
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The Death Penalty
Gay Marriage
Global Warming
Abortion
Healthcare
Affirmative Action
Welfare
Syria
Tax Policy
English = Nat’l Language
Public Opinion
Where Do You Stand on the
Issues?
Political Socialization
• Political Socialization
– Process thru which a person acquires their
knowledge, feelings, & evaluations of the pol.
World (political values)…continual process
• Public Opinion = End result of this process
Influences on Political Socialization
• Family
– Most influential earlier in life
– Trend of passing on party ID ↓, why?
• Media
– Huge increase w/ internet; 24 hr. news cycle
– Narrowcasting
• School/Education
– National values
– Liberalizing effect of college
– Higher levels of participation
• Peers & Social Groups
• Growing influence around High School
Influences on Political Socialization
• Region
• Political Events
– Major events shift thinking—New Deal; 9/11
• Religion
– Catholics/Jews—Liberal
– Protestant/Evangelicals—Conservative
• Occupation
– Professors/Lawyers—Liberal
– Oil Industry/Defense--Conservative
Impact of Demographics
• Age
– Youth: More liberal; Least
likely to vote
– Elderly: Highest pol.
Participation; Conserv.
• Gender
– Gender Gap: Women
more liberal
– Men more conservative
• Income Level
– Wealthier—more
conservative
• Race
– Minorities—more liberal
What’s Meant by Liberal &
Conservative
• Ideology:
– Coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy,
& role of government
– Measure in terms of frequency of self-identification
– Gives meaning to pol. events/policies/personalities
What is Meant by Liberal &
Conservative
• Left…Liberals
• Right…Conservative
– Pol. & Social Reform
– Govt. Reg. of Economy
– Support equality for
women, minorities, poor
– Nat’l Healthcare
– Pro-Choice
– Loose Constructionist
– Judicial Activism
•Dealignment
•Trend of more Americans
moving to center on pol.
spectrum
– Expansion U.S. military
power
– Less Govt. Reg. of Econ.
– Free-Market Econ.
– Private Health Insurance
– Pro-Life
– Strict Constructionist
– Judicial Restraint
Elites & Activists (Ideologues):
•More Consistent Ideologies
•More informed
•Intensity of beliefs
• Def:
What is Public Opinion?
– Attitudes about instit., leaders, issues, & events
– Specific groups thoughts about a certain policy
issue or event at a given point in time
• Unstable
• Many Americans Uninformed
• Subject to many influences…What influences public
opinion?
• Uses
– Measure popularity/success of policy
– Define issues & guide decisions
• What influences public opinion? Groups?
Measuring Public Opinion
• How are Ideology, Socialization, & Public
Opinion related?
• How is public opinion measured?
– Polls
– Elections
– Interest Groups
– Media Coverage
What are polls?
• What are polls used for?
– Measure of public opinion
– Track/monitor short term developments; influence strategy
• Key Elements to Scientific Polling
– Picking a sample…is it representative? Random Sampling
– What is an effective sample size?
– Contact: When/How?...phone/face to face
• Exit Polls
– Phrasing Questions…avoid bias
– Questions must provide an option
– Findings influenced by the process
– Pens & Polls: Nicaragua’s 1st Dem. Election
– Analyze & Report Data
– Margin of Error
Political Polls
• Tracking Polls:
– Monitor short term developments
and impact strategies (daily)
– Small samples
• Exit Polls
– Election Day…
– What’s a common criticism of Exit
Polls?
• Polls: A tool for democracy?
– Provide way for public to express
its opinions
– Enables politicians to implement
public preferences on key issues
Criticisms of Polls
• Polls transform leaders into followers
• Distort Election Process
– Bandwagon Effect; Exit Polls
• Bandwagon Effect: polls can influence people to support a
candidate simply because they see others doing so
– Media & Polls
• Influences Elections/how public perceives an issue
• Iowa Straw Poll
• Sampling Error/Quality of Sample
• Sample’s knowledge of topic
– Can’t measure intangibles (sample’s intensity/ stability of
beliefs)
• Power of wording
Colbert Interviews Frank Luntz
Frank Luntz: The G.O.P. Whisperer
Power of Words…Frank Luntz
• Language Error: “Estate Tax”
• Adjustment: “Death Tax”
• Language Error: “Relaxed Air Quality Standards”
• Adjustment: “Clear Skies Initiative”
• Language Error: “Smaller Government”
• Adjustment: “More Effective & Efficient Govt.”
• Language Error: “Control the growth of Social Security &
Medicare”
• Adjustment: “Save & Strengthen Entitlements”
Media and Public Opinion
• How does the media
play a role in public
opinion?
– Agenda Setting
(Gatekeeper)
– Bias
– Source of Pol. Info
– Differences between
media
• Criticisms of media
– Oversimplify complex
issues
– Reduce major stories to
sound-bites
– Focus on the sensational
& trivial
– Constant polling leads
to…
Polls: Telling America What to Think
Pew Research Polls:
Partisan Politics, Distrust in
Government…What gives?
• http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/jul
y-dec12/campaign_09-17.html