We the People- CH. 6 – Flashcards

The term public opinion is used to describe a. the collected speeches and writings made by a president during his or her term in office b. the analysis of events broadcasts by news reporters during the evening news c. the beliefs and attitudes that people have about issues d. decisions of the Supreme Court

Variables such as income, education, race, gender and ethinicity: a. often create differences of political opinion in america b. have consistently been a challenge to America's core political values c. have little impact on political opinions d. help explain why public opinion polls are so unreliable

Which of the following is an agency of socialization? a. the family b. the social groups c. education d. all of the above

The process by which Americans learn political beliefs and values is called a. brainwashing b. propaganda c. indoctrination d. political socialization

When men and women respond differently to issues of public policy, they are demonstrating an example of a. liberalism b. education differences c. gender gap d. party politics

Members of a social group often have similar political beliefs because a. groups frequently endeavor to structure their members' political views b. individuals may consciously or unconsciously adapt their views to those of the groups which they identify c. they share objective political interest d. all of the above

A politician who opposes abortions, government regulation of business, and gay rights legislation would be best described as a. liberal b. conservative c. libertarian d. socialist

The fact that the public is inattentive to politics and must frequently on informational shortcuts has which of the following effects on American democracy? a. strengthens it by providing politicians with more freedom to act on a wider variety of issues b. strengthens it by increasing the number of people who participate in politics c. weakens it by making it easier for various institutions and political actors to manipulate the political process d. has no effect on it

Which of the following is (are) not an important external influence on how political opinions are a. the government and political leaders b. private interest group c. the media d. the Constitution

Which of the following is the term uses in public-opinion polling to denote the small group representing the opinions of the whole population? a, control group b. sample c. micropopulation d. respondents

A poll that includes many poorly worded or ambiguous questions has a high degree of a. sampling error b. measurement error c. selection bias d. validity error

A push poll is a poll in which a. the questions are designed to shape respondents opinion rather than measure the respondents opinion b. the questions are designed to measure the respondents opinion rather than shape respondents opinion c. the questions are designed in order to reduced measurement error d. none of the above

When politicians, pollsters, journalists, or social scientists assume something is important to the public when in fact it is now, they are creating a. an illusion of saliency b. an illusion of responsibilities c. a gender gap d. an elitist issue

A familiar polling problem is the bandwagon effect which occurs when a. the same results are used over and over again b. polling results influence people to support the candidate marked as the probable victor in a campaign c. polling results influence people to support the candidate who is trailing in a campaign d. background noise makes it difficult for a pollster and a respondent to communicate with each other

Which of the following statements best characterizes the relationship between public opinion and public policy in the U.S?