Chapter 6 Review
1. What are crosscutting cleavages
1. What are crosscutting cleavages
They tend to moderate our
political views our opinions
and political views
2. What do conservatives think?
2. What do conservatives think?
They are in favor of prayer in
schools, control Japanese imports,
and free-market solutions rather
than government intervention
3. When are public opinion polls
considered valid?
3. When are public opinion polls
considered valid?
When they use random sampling
and have a sampling error of within
4 points or so.
4. The gender issue tends to be the
most in regards to what?
4. The gender issue tends to be the
most in regards to what?
Military response to
issues…sending our young men into
harm’s way, and the fact that
they’re a bit more likely to be
Democrats
5. Why are straw polls or asking
people to volunteer to be
interviewed a problem?
5. Why are straw polls or asking
people to volunteer to be
interviewed a problem?
Because polls are valid when they
are select people randomly, either
through a dialing system or some
other method.
6. Why are more and more people
not participating in the process?
6. Why are more and more people
not participating in the process?
Other groups (which are growing
more and more) seem to have
more and more access to decisionmaking, people think helping won’t
make a difference.
7. What’s the relationship between
public officials and public opinion
polls?
7. What’s the relationship between
public officials and public opinion
polls?
They tend to rely more and more
on them, like the French radical,
seeing a mob go by, says, “There
are my people, I must see where
they’re going so I can lead them.”
8. Do people often or sometimes
express an ideological opinion that
goes against what political label they
attach themselves to?
8. Do people often or sometimes
express an ideological opinion that
goes against what political label they
attach themselves to?
Very often, for example the farmers
who are conservative and don’t like
handouts to people who won’t
work, like the farm subsidies dolled
out by the federal government
9. Are national polling
organizations (like Zogby and
Neilson) very accurate?
9. Are national polling
organizations (like Zogby and
Neilson) very accurate?
Yes
10. What is sampling error?
10. What is sampling error?
How confident the pollster is in the
final results of the poll, say a 3%
plus or minus difference
11. What is an exit poll?
11. What is an exit poll?
When the media puts people
outside certain election places and
asks them who they voted for, in an
effort to help predict the election
before the polls close
12. What has changed the most
over the past several years about
people’s political opinions?
12. What has changed the most
over the past several years about
people’s political opinions?
People’s opinion’s of the two major
parties, we’ve become more
distrustful of leadership and more
likely to disagree with leadership
13. What shapes our own public
opinion?
13. What shapes our own public
opinion?
Our political culture and political
socialization, those that have
affected us over the years (It’s what
this whole chapter is about)
14. Why are internet polls so
questionable regarding public
opinion?
14. Why are internet polls so
questionable regarding public
opinion?
Because the sample is not random,
people choose to be part of the
sample, which is questionable in
it’s accuracy.
15. Are men more likely to vote
than woman?
15. Are men more likely to vote
than woman?
No
16. Are Republicans more likely to
vote than Democrats?
16. Are Republicans more likely to
vote than Democrats?
No
17. Are Hispanic voters more likely
to vote than non-Hispanic voters?
17. Are Hispanic voters more likely
to vote than non-Hispanic voters?
No
18. Who is more likely to vote,
young people or old people?
18. Who is more likely to vote,
young people or old people?
Old people, by a lot, and they’re
more likely to support increases (or
at least the status quo) for Social
Security
19. What do Libertarians support?
19. What do Libertarians support?
No tax breaks for big companies,
unrestricted freedom of speech
and all that encompasses, legalizing
pot, fewer laws restricting guns
20. Does the income levels of African
American’s have much of an effect on
their political socialization?
20. Does the income levels of African
American’s have much of an effect on
their political socialization?
No, not really, considering about 85
to 90 percent of African American’s
vote the Democratic party
21. What is the biggest influence
regarding your political party of
choice?
21. What is the biggest influence
regarding your political party of
choice?
Believe it or not, your parents.
22. What is the bigger influence on
your political socialization,
occupation or education?
22. What is the bigger influence on
your political socialization,
occupation or education?
Differing levels of education have more of
an effect on your political ideals. Once,
most college educated people were
liberal, but as more and more people get
degrees like business, engineering, and
the like, they tend to become more
conservative
23. How do public officials tend to
find out what the public want?
23. How do public officials tend to
find out what the public want?
Wait until they get voted out of
office??? NO! Public opinion polls
24. How significant is religion in the
formation of our political beliefs?
24. How significant is religion in the
formation of our political beliefs?
In America, more than in other part of
the world, religion is a bigger part of
our culture and a larger part of our
political socialization (Think how
significant the Religious Right is in
American politics today)
A
The End