Public Opinion
PUBLIC OPINION
AP US Government: Mrs. Lacks
What is Public Opinion?
Public Opinion: ‘ Those opinions held by private persons that the government finds it prudent to heed.
” (VO Key)
Aspects of public opinion
Values, ideology, and attitudes
Values: basic principles (morals; what ’ s right and wrong)
Ideology: cohesive set a beliefs that form a philosophy about the role of government (little gov ’ t intervention =
Republican or conservative; much gov ’ t intervention =
Democrat or liberal)
Attitudes: specific issue position
Where do opinions come from?
Agents of socialization
Socialization
Parents & Family
Friends & School
Church, outside organizations
Experiences
Political leaders & political institutions
Peers & workplace
Employment & salary
The Media
Where do opinions come from?
Elites (in political science) are people who have high political efficacy
Where do opinions come from?
John Zaller ’ s Model of Public Opinion Change
People receive information
People decide whether to accept it
People sample from these ideas when they report their opinion
OPINIONS = DISPOSITIONS + INFORMATION
Lack of information, or reliance on a specific disposition can lead to misguided opinions.
Ex. Republicans hate poor people.
Ex. Democrats hate the military.
Why do we care about public opinion?
Representation
Overall understanding of the direction of government
ex. When America elected President Obama, we showed that we wanted bigger government; when
America turned around and elected a Republican
Congress, we showed that we wanted the government to step back. (contradictory?)
Overall understanding of how people interact with politics (good for campaigns, getting out issues)
What do Americans think about politics?
False consensus: people overestimate the degree to which others agree with them
Ex. One might vote for a president based on the fact that they agree on abortion, but in actuality, they disagree on many other things.
Why does this happen?
People are grossly uninformed
People vote based on the way a candidate looks
People don ’ t want to be argumentative (they might not know enough)
What do Americans think about politics?
VERY LITTLE
Early studies (1920s & 30s) – very optimistic about the American electorate because people were voting, participating in communities, joining organizations, reading newspapers, etc.
Today ’ s reality (everything written since the 1960s)
– very different
People today are uninformed, unconnected, unengaged, uninterested
A Doom for Democracy?
The Consequences of Low Information
Fear that politicians will take advantage of an unknowing public.
Lack of people meaningfully engaging in politics.
Political outcomes and policies would be different if people were informed.
How do people organize their political beliefs?
When asked to identify beliefs
Some (very few) use strict ideology
Some use ideological ideas, but remain vague on their meanings (most people have weak conceptions of ideology)
Some only see politics in terms of the groups they think are being helped or hurt
Others do not pay attention to the issues at all
How do we know what people know?
Voting habits
Personal encounters
Public opinion polls
Assignment
Read Philip Converse’s
“The Nature of Belief
Systems in Mass
Publics” & the excerpt from Samuel Popkin’s
The Reasoning Voter:
Communication and
Persuasion in Presidential
Campaigns
Complete the blog assignment
