Chapter 6
Public Opinion,
Political
Socialization and
the Media
• Public Opinion – the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs
shared by some portion of the adult population
• there is no one public opinion because there are many different
“publics”
• Consensus opinions – when there is general agreement among the
citizenry on an issue
• Divisive opinions – when public opinion is polarized between two
quite different positions
Aspects of Polling Techniques
• Sampling techniques
• simple random sample – each member of the population has an equal
chance of being selected for the sample
• quota sample – a less accurate technique wherein polling
organizations predetermine the characteristics of the needed sample,
and then find respondents with those characteristics to fill the slots
• sampling error – the difference between a sample’s results and the
result if the entire population had been interviewed
The Spectrum of Political Beliefs
• Liberal ideology
•endorse national government solutions to public problems
•support social-welfare programs to help the disadvantaged
•government should intervene to ensure the economy runs smoothly support social change
•support women’s rights
•support civil rights
•oppose increased defense spending
• Conservative ideology
•national government has grown too large
•national government should not interfere with private sector
•social welfare programs should be limited
•state and local governments should be able to make their own decisions
•national defense should be strengthened
•support traditional values
•oppose gay rights
What is Political Socialization?
The process by which individuals acquire political beliefs and attitudes
• How are Americans socialized?
• Family
•once the primary force in socialization
•links us to other forces of socialization
•parents communicate preferences to children
•children want to please parents and are receptive to their views
•demonstrated the most in consistency in party identification
• Education
•learn patriotism, structure of government and how to form positions on issues
•more the education a person has, the more likely he or she will be interested in politics
• The Media
•Includes news, entertainment and the Internet
•Replacing family and schools as the primary agents of socialization
• Peers
•most likely to shape political opinions when peer groups are politically active
• Religious Influence
•religious groups are likely to transmit definite political preferences
•Roman Catholics → liberal
•Protestants → conservative
•Jewish → liberal
How are Americans socialized? (cont.)
• Economic Status and Occupation
•poorer people → more inclined to favor social-welfare programs, more isolationist
•richer people → more tolerant of social change, conservative economically
• Influence of Political Events
•events impact people’s political attitudes
•when the effect of an event is long-lasting and impacts the preferences of those who came of age at
that time, it is called a generational effect
•Examples include the Great Depression, World War II and the Vietnam War
• Opinion Leaders’ Influence
•leaders sometimes influence the opinions of others
• Demographic Traits
•African Americans → liberal
•whites → comparatively conservative
•younger adults → liberal
•older adults → comparatively conservative
•the gender gap – the difference between the percentage of votes a candidates receives from women
versus from men
•women tend to vote more Democratic than men (2000 54% Women for Gore, 42% of Men)
Ideology and Public Opinion
• Liberal ideology
•endorse national government solutions to public problems
•support social-welfare programs to help the disadvantaged
•government should intervene to ensure the economy runs smoothly
•support social change
•support women’s rights
•support civil rights
•oppose increased defense spending
• Conservative ideology
•national government has grown too large
•national government should not interfere with private sector
•social welfare programs should be limited
•state and local governments should be able to make their own decisions
•national defense should be strengthened
•support traditional values
•oppose gay rights
The Media and Politics
• entertainment
• reporting the news
• identifying public problems
• setting the public agenda
• socializing new generations
• providing a political forum
• making profits
The Primary of Television
• the most influential medium
•criticized for superficiality
•relies heavily on images
•constructs a “story line”
•sound bite
•influences the way politics is conducted
• narrowcasting
• the Internet
• talk show politics
The Media and Political Campaigns
• advertising
• the management of news coverage (spin)
• presidential debates
• the media’s impact on voters
The Media and Government
• the Media and the Presidency
•the role of the White House Press Corps
•the role of the President’s Press Secretary
• Setting the Public Agenda
•Media treatment of issues
•Special interest and political parties
Hot Links to Selected Internet Resources:
• http://www.wadsworth.com/cgiwadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M2&discipline_number=20&
product_isbn_issn=0534592651
• http://www.wadsworth.com/politicalscience
• http://www.pollingreport.com
• http://www.Slate.msn.com
• http://www.mediachannel.org
Essentials of Government
Very Good Websites for Chapter 6
•
•
•
•
www.umich.edu/~nes ***
www.pollingreport.com *****
http://Slate.msn.com ****
www.mediachannel,org *****
– California Websites –
www.self-gov.org/lp-quiz.html