UNIT 4
CHAPTER 6: PUBLIC OPINION
AND POLITICAL ACTION
1. What were the three great waves of immigration to the United States?
Unit 4- Chapter 6 Study Guide, page 1
1.
2.
3.
2. What is meant by the term “minority majority”?
3. What was the goal of the Simpson-Mazzoli Act?
4. How have the following demographic changes affected political changes?
1. Immigration
2. Regional Shifts
3. Aging Population
5. Name the three primary agents of political socialization and explain their significance.
1.
2.
3.
6. Name two ways in which aging affects political behavior.
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1.
2.
7. What is the key to the accuracy of opinion polls?
8. Explain the technique of random digit dialing.
9. List three criticisms of public opinion polling.
1.
2.
3.
10. What is the “paradox of mass politics” according to Russell Neuman?
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11. Fill in the following table concerning political ideology.
Ideology
General Beliefs
Typical Demographic
Characteristics
Liberals
Conservatives
12. Complete the following table on the classification of the ideological sophistication of
American voters according to the study The American Voter.
Ideological
Classification
Definition
Percent
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13. How would you explain President Reagan’s popularity? President Clinton’s?
14. List the five activities of conventional political participation, placing a star next to the
most common activity.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
15. Define civil disobedience and give an example.
16. How does minority group status affect political participation?
17. What is the public’s general attitude about the scope of government?
18. Comment on how Americans’ lack of political knowledge and low participation rate
affects democracy.
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KEY TERMS
1. public opinion
2. demography
3. census
4. melting pot
5. political culture
6. reapportionment
7. political socialization
8. sample
9. random sampling
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10. sampling error
11. exit poll
12. political ideology
13. gender gap
14. political participation
15. protest
16. civil disobedience
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KEY CONCEPTS
1. Public opinion is the population's attitudes on an issue or question. It can be
measured by a variety of techniques, but with a high degree of accuracy by using
scientific polling.
2. To understand the nature of public opinion on an issue, one must understand the
various dimensions and characteristics of public opinion.
3. Political socialization is the process through which people acquire an awareness of
the facts about, and values concerning politics. It is a lifelong process. Among the major
agents of socialization are the family, school, peers, and the mass media.
4. Political attitudes vary (cleavages) in America depending on such socioeconomic
characteristics as education, income/class, ethnicity and race, religion, region, and
gender.
5. A political ideology is an organized, coherent set of attitudes on government and
public policy. Liberal and conservative ideologies have taken on a multidimensional
character, reflecting not only the traditional concern for government's role in society but
also social and foreign policy concerns. Most Americans do not approach politics from
an ideological perspective.
6. Public opinion has its greatest impact on government decision making when people
feel strongly about clear-cut preferences. Although government policy tends to coincide
with public opinion, this may not always be the case, particularly when a well-organized
interest group intervenes or public apathy is evident.
7. Most Americans are not highly interested or intensely involved in politics. Level of
involvement is strongly influenced by one's social and economic status, level of
education, political attitudes such as party identification and political efficacy, and group
affiliation.
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SUMMARY
1. What is Public Opinion?
Public opinion is what the public thinks about an issue or a particular set of
issues. Public opinion polls are used to estimate public opinion.
2. Early Efforts to Influence and Measure Public Opinion
Almost since the beginning of the United States, various attempts have been
made to influence public opinion about particular issues or to sway elections. Modernday polling did not begin until the 1930s, however. Over the years, polling to measure
public opinion has become more sophisticated and more accurate because pollsters
are better able to sample the public in their effort to determine their attitudes and
positions on issues. Pollsters recognize that their sample must reflect the population
whose ideas and beliefs they wish to measure.
3. Political Socialization and Other Factors that Influence Opinion Formation
The first step in forming opinions occurs through a process called political
socialization. The family, school, peers, the impact of events, the social group of which
one is a member- including religion, race, gender, and age- as well as where one lives
all affect how one views political events and issues, as do the major events themselves.
Our political ideology- whether we are conservative, liberal, or moderate- also provides
a lens through which we filter our political views, as does our level of personal benefit
from and our political knowledge of issues and events. Even the views of other people
affect our ultimate opinions of a variety of issues, including race relations, the death
penalty, abortion, and federal taxes.
4. How We Form Political Opinions
Myriad factors enter our minds as we form opinions about political matters.
These include a calculation about the personal benefits involved, degree of personal
political knowledge, and cues from leaders.
5. How We Measure Public Opinion
Measuring public opinion can be difficult. The most frequently used measure is
the public opinion poll. Determining the content, phrasing the questions, selecting the
sample, and choosing the right kind of poll are critical to obtaining accurate and useable
data.
6. How Polling and Public Opinion Affect Politicians, Politics, and Public Policy
Knowledge of the public's views on issues is often used by politicians to tailor
campaigns or to drive policy decisions.
7. Changing Polling Practices
Good news doesn't sell papers, and members of the media often play up the bad
about America. Faulty polls, too, can negatively affect public opinion and can have
serious ramifications on the democratic system.
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