Chapter 8, Section 1
The Formation of Public Opinion
Public Opinion
• Read- pg. 214
• The complex collection of the opinions of
many different people; the sum of all their
views.
• Public opinion must be expressed in order to
be an opinion in public sense.
• Expression forms- Protest, film, billboard, or a
vote against a candidate.
• Chart- pg. 215
Public Opinion Forms
• Ferguson Protests
Public Opinion Polls
• Obama
Who Influences Public Opinion?
• What do you think?
Family
• Quote- pg. 216
School
• Read- pg. 216, 2nd paragraph
Mass Media
Peer Groups
Opinion Leaders
Bill O'Reilly
Class Profile
• Political Questionnaire
Discussion Questions
• Please rate in order which you believe
influence you the most: family, school, peer
groups, mass media.
• Why do think that is the case?
• Do you think this is done consciously?
Government in America
How Americans Participate in Politics
Pgs.195-202
Discussion Question
• List three things that you like about the
government and society in the US.
• List three things that you dislike about the
government.
• Explain the reasoning for your responses.
Which is more likely to get results?
• Berkley, CA
• Washington D.C.
Political Participation
• Examples- pgs. 195-196
• Political participation encompasses many
activities in which citizens engage to influence
the selection of political leaders or the policies
they pursue.
• Political participation can be violent or
peaceful, organized to individual, casual or
consuming.
Conventional Participation
• Widely accepted modes of influencing
government.
• Examples- Voting, trying to persuade others,
ringing doorbells for a petition, running for
office.
Unconventional Participation
• Activities that are dramatic: protesting, civil
disobedience, and even violence.
Political Participation
Peaceful
Violent
Protest as Participation
• Protest- A form of political participation
designed to achieve policy change through
dramatic and unconventional tactics.
• The media’s willingness to cover the unusual
can make protests worthwhile, drawing
attention to a point of view that many
Americans might otherwise not encounter.
Civil Disobedience
• Throughout American history, individuals and
groups have sometimes used civil
disobedience a form of protest.
• Civil Disobedience- A form of political
participation that reflects a conscious decision
to break a law believed to be immoral and to
suffer the consequences.
• Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
• Pg. 199- Images
Civil Disobedience
Class, Inequality, and Participation
• The rates of political participation are unequal
among Americans.
• Citizens of a higher socio- economic status
participate more in politics
• Pg. 200- Figure 6.5
Public Attitudes Toward the Scope of
Government
• “Government is not the solution to society’s
problems.” --- President Reagan
• What do you think? Why?
• In 1964, only 30 percent of the population
thought the government was getting too
powerful; by 1980, this figure had risen to 50
percent of the American population
Best of Both Worlds
• Many political scientists have found
contradictory ideals amongst the American
people.
• Americans are ideological conservatives but
operational liberals.
• Oppose the idea of big government, but in
favor of the principle.
Chapter 8, Section 3: Mass Media
• What do you think is the role of the mass
media in influencing public opinion?
• Mass media elements: Television, radio,
newspapers, internet, and magazines.
Television
Radio
Internet
Newspapers
Magazines
The Internet
The Public Agenda
• The media plays a large role in shaping the
public agenda, the societal problems that the
nation’s political leaders and the general
public agree are important.
• The media determines to a very large extent
what issues matter to the public.
• Pg. 234- Last two paragraphs.
• Can you think of examples?
Electoral Politics
• Both television and the internet allow candidates
to appeal directly to the people.
• Candidates regularly try to manipulate media
coverage to their advantage.
• Read- Last two paragraphs on 234
• Tom Corbett Video
• Often very vague- Hillary Clinton
• Biased media?
Chapter 9
Interest Groups
What is an Interest Group?
• Interest Group- A collection of people who
share certain views on public matters and
work to shape public policy to their benefit.
The Role of Interest Groups
• Pg.243- Last paragraph
Parties and Interest Groups
• Parties and interest groups differ in three
significant ways…
Interest Groups’ Valuable Functions
Criticisms
Criticisms of Interest Groups
• Questionable practices- Bribery, threats,
revenge.
• Pg. 246- Last Paragraph
• Video
Section 2: Types of Interest Groups
• Interest groups come in many shapes and
sizes.
• Largest number of interest groups are founded
on a basis of economic interest, especially in
areas of agriculture, business, or labor.
• Other Interests- Gun control, prohibition.
• Do any of your parents or relatives belong to
any of the types of interest groups?
Economic Interest Groups
Business Groups
– Disagreements- Pg. 248, last paragraph
Labor Groups
• IBEW Local 98
• Pg. 249- Chart
Video
Professional Organizations
Issue- Oriented Groups
• Lists- Pg. 251
• The Sierra Club Video
Organizations for Specific Groups
• Hundreds of interest groups seek to promote
the welfare of certain segments of the
population.
• List- pg. 252
• The NAACP
Twitter
Video
Section 3: Interest Groups at Work
The Direct Approach
• Direct Approach- Immediate, face-to- face
contact with policymakers.
The Direct Approach
• Lobbying- Activities by which group pressures
are brought to bear on legislators, the
legislative process, and all aspects of the
public policy making process.
• Lobbyists- People who try to persuade public
officials to do those things that interest groups
want them to do.
• Lobbying occurs wherever public policy is
made.
Lobbyists
• Most lobbyists are professionals.
• Large labor unions and companies have fulltime.
• Many work for law firms in the Washington
D.C. area.
In-Depth Look at Lobbying
• Statistics
• CBS Newshttp://www.cbsnews.com/news/behind-theclosed-doors-of-washington-lobbyists/
Video Discussion Questions
• What was surprising to you about the video?
• Do you believe that lobbying is a necessary
aspect?
Lobbying Congress
• Example- pg. 255
• Chart- pg. 256
Lobbying the Executive Branch
• Primary Source- pg. 256
Lobbying the Courts
• Pg. 257- Last paragraph.
The Indirect Approach
• Indirect Approach- More subtle tactics.
• Examples of Indirect- Having constituents
contact members of Congress with letters,
phone calls, and e-mails for or against a
particular bill.
• Goal- Same as the direct approach… To shape
public policy.
• No in-person contact.
Grass-roots Lobbying
• Grass- roots pressures- Pressure from an
interest group or members or from people at
large.
• Letters, e-mails, phone calls, demonstrations,
protests.
• AARP- pg. 257
• The internet has been especially useful in
lobbying. (Social Media, Rating Websites)
Shaping Public Opinion
• AARP
• Ratings
Well Regarded Personalities- NRA
Propaganda
• Propaganda does not use objective logic. It
begins with a conclusion and brings evidence
to support that conclusion and completely
disregards contradictory information to that
claim.
• Name calling- “Communist”, “fascist”,
“greedy”
• Attempt to discredit a policy or person with
one-sided information.