Lecture – Public Opinion and
Political Ideology and Values
Understanding Public Opinion and
Ideology
• Public opinion is defined as the value and
attitudes that people have about issues, events,
and personalities. Values (or beliefs) are defined
as a person’s basic orientations to politics; values
are the basic principles that shape a person’s
opinions about political issues and events.
• Political ideology is defined as a complex set of
beliefs and values that, as a whole, form a
general philosophy about the role of government.
Attitude (or opinion) is defined as a specific view
on a particular issue, event, or personality.
How Political Values Are Formed
• Individual attitudes are shaped by underlying political
beliefs and values. The political process through which
these underlying political beliefs and values are formed
are collectively called political socialization, the
induction of an individual into the political culture as
that individual learns the underlying beliefs and values
on which the political system is based.
• Socialization elements produce citizens’ different and
similar outlooks on government. Four of the most
important agencies of socialization (social institutions
that help to shape and individual’s basic political beliefs
and values) include family, membership in social
groups, education, and prevailing political conditions.
Influence on Our Political Values
• The Family - a fundamental source of political orientation for the
individual.
• Social Groups - Social groups include those to which people belong
involuntarily (gender, religious, or racial groups) or voluntarily
(political parties, labor unions, and occupational groups. Other
groups may be a combination based on individual efforts or the
class status one is born into, which shift up or down.)
• Differences of Education - Education is a source of both
commonality and difference in the formation of political values and
beliefs. Differences in amounts of education, however, affect an
individual’s political perspective. For example, college graduates
with higher levels of education tend to participate more by voting
and making their voices heard.
• Political Conditions - The individual’s environment and conditions of
involvement in political life also shape political orientation.
Political Values to Ideology
• Political ideology is the set of underlying
orientations, ideas, and beliefs that form an
individual’s philosophy about, and
understanding and interpretation of,
government and politics.
• In the United States today, most people
identify with liberal or conservative ideologies.
Example of Political Ideology
Influencing Political Values and Beliefs
• 1 In 7 Ohio Conservatives Think Mitt Romney
Killed Osama bin Laden
• When asked “Who is more responsible for Osama
bin Laden’s death, Barack Obama or Mitt
Romney?”, 15% of Ohioan voters who identified
themselves as “very” conservative gave credit not
to President Obama, but to former Governor Mitt
Romney.
• Perhaps more disturbingly, 1 in 3 Ohioans
surveyed (31%) said they were not sure who was
responsible for bin Laden’s death.
• Public Policy Polling surveyed 1,072 likely Ohio
voters from September 7-9, 2012.
Liberal vs. Conservative Ideologies in
the United States
• Liberal - The term liberal refers to those who favor equality
as the most important core value. They generally support
social and political reform; extensive economic
governmental intervention; the expansion of federal social
services; more vigorous efforts on behalf of the poor,
minorities, and women; and greater concern for consumers
and the environment. Liberals tend to live in urban areas
and are less religious and watch MSNBC.
• Conservative - The term conservative refers to those who
favor liberty as the most important core value. They
generally support the social and economic status quo and
are suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulae
and economic arrangements. Conservatives believe that a
large and powerful government poses a threat to citizens’
freedom. Conservatives tend to live in rural areas and are
more religious and watch the FOX News Channel.
Liberal vs. Conservative Ideologies – Differing Lifestyles
and Segregation
Living in the Bubble
• Liberals and conservatives in the United States are
beginning to segregate themselves from each other and are
only associating with those whom share their political
ideology.
• Liberals and conservatives have differences when it comes
to preferred media, music, TV, books, and even preferred
retail shopping businesses.
• Liberals for example tend to like to watch The Daily Show,
MSNBC and read the New York Times, open to alternative
forms of music (rap, new age), authors Gore Vidal and Alan
Colmes, and shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joes.
• Conservatives for example tend to like to watch Fox News
and listen to talk radio, listen to country and other patriotic
music, read authors Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, and Thomas
Sowell, and shop at Wal Mart.
The Formation of Political Opinions
• Political Knowledge - Studies of political opinion show
that that individuals’ views are easily influenced by
others if they do not hold clearly defined opinions
about politics. However, better informed individuals
can recognize their political interests and act
consistently on their own behalf. This is true when
individuals make voting decisions.
• If knowledge is power, then lack of knowledge is a
source of political weakness leading to political
inequality. As a result, political outcomes – for
example, taxation rates – most often do not favor
individuals who are unaware of their interests or how
to pursue them.
The Formation of Public Opinions Continued
When forming opinions about politics,
individuals are often confronted by groups
trying to persuade them to adopt a point of
view. Constant exposure to the marketplace of
ideas (the public forum in which beliefs and
ideas are exchanged and compete) modifies
individuals’ beliefs.
It has also created a common ground for
discussion based on common understandings.
Political ideas are usually produced by organized
groups and interests.
Government, Private Groups, and the
News Media
• Government attempts to influence citizens’ beliefs. However, its
efforts are limited.
• Economic and political groups advance political ideas. For
example, conservatives advanced the right to life campaign to ban
abortion as the center of Christian institutions or liberals seeking
to advance environmental campaigns for clean water, clean air,
and regulation.
• The media have great impact on popular attitudes and opinions.
The way the media report political events helps to shape public
opinions. For example, recent media reports on governmental
corruption have shaped American’s general distrust in
government. After 9/11, President George W. Bush’s antiterrorist
efforts were praised by the media. However, after 2003 the media
criticized the aftermath of the Iraq War because the same
administration failed to remove the United States from
involvement in Iraq.
2003 Washington Post Poll: 69%
Believe in Iraq – 9/11 – Al Qaeda link
• Nearly seven in 10 Americans believe it is likely that ousted Iraqi
leader Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the Sept. 11
attacks, says a poll out almost two years after the terrorists' strike
against this country.
• Sixty-nine percent in a Washington Post poll published Saturday
said they believe it is likely the Iraqi leader was personally involved
in the attacks carried out by al-Qaeda. A majority of Democrats,
Republicans and independents believe it's likely Saddam was
involved.
• Veteran pollsters say the persistent belief of a link between the
attacks and Saddam could help explain why public support for the
decision to go to war in Iraq has been so resilient despite problems
establishing a peaceful country.
• The president frequently has called the Iraq war an important
centerpiece in the United States' war on terror. But some members
of the administration have said recently they don't believe there is a
direct link.