Ch. 6 Public Opinion – Flashcards
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citizens attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events
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public opinion
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basic principles that shape a person's opinions about political issues and events
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values (or beliefs)
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what are three political values held by most americans?
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liberty, democracy, and equality of opportunity
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a cohesive set of beliefs that forms a general philosophy about the role of government
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political ideology
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a specific preference on a particular issue
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attitude (opinion)
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a widely shared american ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential
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equality of opportunity
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what is economic opportunity defined as in American politics?
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a good job and decent standard of living
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the system of government that gives every citizen the opportunity to take part in the nations governmental and policy-making process and to have some say in determining how they are governed, as well as voting rights
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democracy
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the set of underlying orientations, ideas, and beliefs through which we come to understand and interpret politics
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political ideology
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a political ideology that argues government is wasteful and interferes with free markets and society, so it should be limited to as few spheres of activity as possible
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libertarianism
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a political ideology that argues more government is necessary to eremite justice and reduce economic and social inequality
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socialists
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those who generally support social and political reform; governmental intervention in the economy and more economic equality; expansion of federal social services; and greater concern for consumers and the environment
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liberals (modern days are called social liberals)
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what are some views of liberals?
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support abortion rights, support gay/lesbian rights, protective of environment and consumers, better tax policy to benefit middle class, favors expanded health coverage, against testing of nuclear weapons and war
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those who generally support the social and economic status quo and are suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulae and economic arrangements: they believe a large and powerful govt poses a threat to citizens' freedom
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conservative
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what are some views of conservatives?
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opposed to increased taxes, support school prayer, oppose abortion and same-sex marriage, mea support for military intervention and military power
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put these in order: political values, political attitudes, political ideology
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political values ---> political ideology ----> political attitudes
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what is the mixture of liberals and conservatives that many Americans identify with?
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moderate
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what are factors that influence our political values?
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family(upbringing), social groups(involuntary:race gender or voluntary), education, and political conditions (where you live, what era you live in), party affiliation
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the induction of individuals into the political culture; learning the underlying beliefs and values on which the political system is based
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political socialization
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social institutions including families and schools, that help to shape individuals basic political beliefs and values
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agents of socialization
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a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between men and women
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gender gap
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what views are white evangelicals and weekly church goers likely to hold
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conservative and republican
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what party are women more likely to vote for than men?
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democratic
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what views are black protestants, hispanic catholics, jews, and religiously unaffiliated people likely to hold?
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liberal and democratic
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where is one of the major settings that children first learn a common set of civic values
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schools (education system)
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what kind of people are most likely to be more knowledgable about politics?
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those with higher education, higher income, ad occupational status, and who are members of social or political organizations
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the public form in which beliefs and ideas are exchanged and compete
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marketplace of ideas
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three forces that play important roles in shaping opinions in the MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS
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private groups, news media, and government
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who is the outlet of government influence on opinions in the marketplace of ideas
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presidents and their efforts to get people to agree or support their policies
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scientific instruments for measuring public opinion
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public-opinion polls
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a small group selected by researchers to represent the most important characteristics of an entire population
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sample
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what requirements must a sample meet?
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appropriate sampling method, sufficient size, and the avoidance of selection bias
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a method of selection of a representative sample in which every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent
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simple random sample
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a polling method in which respondents are selected at random from a list of 10-digit telephone numbers, with every effort to avoid bias
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random digit dialing
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error that occurs if sample size is too small
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sampling error (margin of error)
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polling error that arises when the sample is not representative of the population being studied, which leads to errors in over-representation as well as under-representation
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selection bias
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the effect that results when respondents in a survey report what they expect the interviewer wishes to hear rather than what they really believe
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social desirability effect
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a technique in which the questions are designed to shape the respondent's opinion (dependent on the wording of the question)
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push polling
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when public opinion polls report a candidate to be the front-runner so people begin to support them
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bandwagon effect
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between 1960 and 2013 trust in government ____.
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decreased in democrats and republicans
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James Madison and framers thought _______ would always be most prevalent source of conflict in political life
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inherent gulf between rich and poor
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the bandwagon effect has been particularly problematic in what type of election?
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presidential
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which was a result of partisan realignment in the south and congressional redistricting?
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near elimination of Republicans in congress
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african americans are likely to exhibit this type of phenomenon because of their tie to their racial group
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"linked fate"
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citizens attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events.
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public-opinion polls
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a small group selected by researchers to represent the most important characteristics of an entire population
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sample
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the effect that results when respondents in a survey report what they expect the interviewer wishes to hear rather than what they believe
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social desirability effect
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A polling technique in which the questions are designed to shape the respondents.
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push-polling
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the power of the media bring public attention to particular issues and problems
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agenda setting
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news reported and distributed by citizens rather than professional journalists and for profit news organizations
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citizen journalism
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a daily internet user with high speed home internet access and the technology and literacy skills to go online for employment, news, politics, entertainment, commerce another activities
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digital citizen
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the requirement that broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their messages to the public
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equal time rule
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a federal communications commission requirement for broadcasters who air programs on controversial issues to provide time for opposing views; the FCC ceased enforcing this doctrine in 1985
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Fairness Doctrine
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the power of the media influence how events and issues are interpreted
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framing
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news reporting devoted to a targeted portion (subset) of a journalism market sector or for a portion of readers or viewers based on content or ideological presentation
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niche journalism
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process of preparing the public to take a particular view of an event or political actor
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priming
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a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation giving individuals the right to have the opportunity to respond to personal attacks made on a radio or television broadcast
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right of rebuttal
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the tendency to focus news overage on only one aspect of event or issue, avoiding coverage of other aspects
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selection bias (news)
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web-based and mobile based technologies that are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue between organizations, communities, and individuals, social media technologies take on many different forms including blogs, wikis, podcasts, pictures, video, Facebook, and twitter
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social media
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a proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups for a popular vote
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ballot initiative
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a primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to primary day
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closed primary
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the condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of congress
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divided government
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the presidential electors (people) form each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president
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electoral college
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the point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force; in the United States, this has tended to occur roughly every 30 years
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electoral realignment
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nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat candidates, named after Selection 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which defines and provides tax exempt status for nonprofit advocacy groups
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527 committees
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a regularly scheduled election involving most districts in the nation or state, in which voters select officeholders, in the US, general elections for national office and most state following the first monday in november in even numbered years (every for years for presidential elections)
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general election
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a candidate running for re-election to a position that he or she already holds
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incumbent
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the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the house or senate
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majority party
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the party that holds a minority of legislative seats in either the house or the senate
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minority party
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the process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity
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mobilization
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the process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office
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nomination
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a primary election in which the voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election
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open primary
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and individual voter's psychological ties to one party or another
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party identification
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private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns
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(PAC) Political action committee
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organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices
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political parties
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elections to select a party's candidate for general election
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primary elections
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multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote
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proportional representation
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a procedure to allow voters to remove state officials from office before their terms expire by circulating petitions to call a vote
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recall
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the practice of referring a measure proposed or passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection
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referendum
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stays in society based on level of education, income, and occupational prestige
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socioeconomic status
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the right to vote; also called franchise
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suffrage
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parties that organize to compete against the two major american political parties
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third parties
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the percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote
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turnout
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a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control of the government
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two-party systems
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An election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to election day
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Closed primary
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The first party system in the US pitted the federalist, support mainly ---against the Jeffersonian republicans supported mainly by
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Merchants, agrarian interest
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The--- is an example of indirect voting in national elections
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Electoral college
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33%
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Turnout for midterm election in the United States is about what percent of eligible voters
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Reduce mobilization efforts
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A recent comprehensive study of the decline in political participation in the United States found that half of the drop off could be accounted for by
