United States Government
William J. Palmer High School - Mrs. Osborne
Unit Four: Public Opinion and Political Socialization
The American Democracy: Chapter 6
Essential Questions:
 What are the origins of public opinion?
 How does public opinion influence government policy?
Terms to Know:
Political Culture
Ideology
Sampling Error
Conservative
Polls
Straw polls
Presidential Approval Ratings
Political Socialization
Public Opinion Poll
Gender gap
Libertarians
Push polling
Exit poll
Party Identification
Sample
Liberal
Moderates
Bandwagon effect
Bellwether District
FRQs:
1. Presidential approval ratings fluctuate over the course of each presidential administration.
a. Identify two factors that decrease presidential approval ratings, and explain why each factor has
that effect.
b. Identify two factors that increase presidential approval ratings, and explain why each factor has
that effect.
2. Public opinion polls are a way to link the public with elected officials. Members of Congress often use polls
to understand the views of their constituents, but they must also pay attention to other political
considerations.
a. Identify two characteristics of a valid, scientific, public opinion poll.
b. Explain why each of the following enhances the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions
of members of Congress.
 Strong public opinions as expressed in polling results
 Competitive re-elections
c. Explain why each of the following limits the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of
member of Congress.
 Legislators’ voting records
 Party leadership
Reading Beyond the Text:
Various polling data from a variety of sources
Supreme Court Cases:
none