Chapter Five
Public Opinion and
the Media
Enduring Questions
• Under the United States Constitution, how big a
role should public opinion play in making policy?
• What are the biggest sources of the political
views of Americans?
• What is meant by “liberal” and “conservative”?
• Why is television news different from that in
newspapers?
• Are reporters biased in how they cover politics?
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Introduction: Public Opinion Polling
• Government policy often at odds with
public opinion
• Media and government officials often have
adversarial relationship
• What is public opinion?
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Why Do We Distrust the Federal Government?
• Steady decline since 1960s
• Vietnam, Watergate, Clinton impeachment
• Pre-WW II trust levels
• September 11, 2001
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Figure 5.1: Trust in Government Index
1958–2002
Source: The National Election Studies, September 16, 2003.
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Origins of Political Attitudes –
Political Socialization
• The role of the family
• Effects of religion
• Education, especially college and postgraduate education
• The “gender gap”
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Table 5.1: The Relationship Between Politics
and Religion (Among White Voters Only)
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Table 5.2: The Gender Gap: Differences in
Political Views of Men and Women
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Cleavages in Public Opinion
• Cleavages are complex and reflect the
heterogeneity of the U.S. society
• Occupation
• Race
• Region
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Table 5.3: White Versus Black Opinions
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Political Ideology
• Many people are neither liberals nor
conservatives
• Consistent attitudes
• Activists
• Various categories of opinion
• Analyzing consistency
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The Impact of the Media
• Members of the media have more
adversarial relationship with government
• Due to Vietnam and Watergate
• Economics force change; number of
media outlets and competition have
increased
• Media covers what public wants to see;
competing for viewers
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The Structure of the Media
• Degree of competition
• The national media
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Rules Governing the Media
• Freedom of the press
• Regulation and deregulation
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Government and the News
• Government officials seek to shape public
opinion
• Prominence of the president
• Coverage of Congress
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Interpreting Political News
• Public relies on, yet distrusts, TV news
coverage
• Are news stories slanted?
• News leaks
• The influence of media opinions on public
opinion and politics
• The influence of politicians on the media
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Figure 5.2: Young People Becoming Less
Interested in Political News
Source: Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Center for the People and the Press (June 28, 1990).
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Reconsidering the Enduring Questions
• Under the United States Constitution, how big a
role should public opinion play in
making policy?
• What are the biggest sources of the political
views of Americans?
• What is meant by “liberal” and “conservative”?
• Why is television news different from that in
newspapers?
• Are reporters biased in how they cover politics?
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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