8.1 The Formation of Public Opinion
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What is ‘public opinion’? What influences it?
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What role does it play in the election process?
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What are some of the more influential outlets
for public opinion?
Public Opinion is a complex collection of the
opinions of many different people; it is the
sum of all of their views . . . it is not the
single and undivided view of some mass
mind.
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Many publics exist in the United States, each
public is made up of all those individuals who
hold the same view on some particular public
issue.
Most public issues attract the interest of
some people; few of them attract the
interests of all people.
◦ Taxes, unemployment, welfare, national defense,
etc.
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No one is born with a set of attitudes about
government and politics; instead, each of us learns
our political opinions
◦ Family – The strong influence the family has on the
development of political opinions is largely a result of the
near monopoly the family has on the child in his or her
earliest, most impressionable years.
◦ Schools –
 Both formal and informal learning in schools contribute a great
deal to the formation of political thought
 Formal: Students are taught about the political process from a very
early age (i.e., singing the Pledge of Allegiance and learning about
the Founding Fathers through Constitution Day)
 Informal: The importance/necessity of compromise
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Mass Media – Those means of communication
that reach large, widely dispersed audiences
simultaneously.
◦ Newspaper, radio, the internet, television, etc.
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The Census Bureau reports that there is at
least one television set in 98% of the nation’s
110 million households . . . most of which are
turned on for seven hours a day.
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Hours Per Person
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Peer groups are made up of the people with whom
one regularly associates, including friends,
classmates, neighbors, and co-workers.
Being part of a peer group often reinforces what a
person has already come to believe; most people
trust the opinions of their friends.
Often members of the same peer group have shared
the same or similar socializing experiences.
Most people want to be liked by their friends and are
often reluctant to stray too far from what their peers
think.
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Opinion leader – Any person who, for any
reason, has an unusually strong influence on
the views of others.
◦ Politicians, journalists, t.v. personalities,celebrities
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Rush Limbaugh
Oprah Winfrey
Sean Hannity
Jesse Jackson
Al Sharpton
Sean Penn
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Historic events can have a major impact on
the views of large numbers of people – and so
have a major impact on the content and
direction of public policy.
◦ The Great Depression
◦ The Civil Rights Movement
◦ September 11th
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What is public opinion and what factors shape
it?
Give three examples of an opinion leader.
Describe the political socialization of a young
child.
What is mass media? What evidence can you
give that the mass media influence public
opinion?
Is it likely that interaction with one’s peer group
would prompt one to switch his or her
allegiance from one party to the other? Why or
why not.
Why is it so difficult to define public opinion?