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| Review for Test 2 Chapter 5 1. Private opinion�personal opinions, belonging to only one person They become public opinions when many people share the same opinion 2. Public Opinion is known through elections, initiative, referenda, recall, interest groups, polls. Initiative- proposed laws or state constitutional amend. placed on the ballot via citizen petition. Referenda- laws/const. amend. proposed by a legislative body but don�t go into effect unless a required number of voters approve Recall Election- attempt to remove an official from office before the completion of the term. Interest Group- private assc. or org. made up of people w/common interests, that participate in politics. 3. Aspects of Public Opinion Can legitimize political authority- politicians can claim their policies are correct based on polling data. Can make elected officials more responsive to the public. Help Candidates win campaigns (hire pollsters) 4. Political Socialization- process by which our beliefs and values are formed. absorption of our attitudes over time by those who influence us Agents: Family (early years), Social Groups, Education, Generational Events/Circumstances, Media Influence 5. Two Major Ideologies-- Liberal (D) & Conservative (R) 6. 3 major groups of population, politically: Mass Public (75-80%)- most apathetic, least informed, easy to manipulate Attentive Public (15-20%)- more informed, know basics, express themselves by voting, sometimes through joining interest groups Elite (top 5%)- most informed, party leaders, shape opinions of others 7. Random Sample- everyone has an equal chance of being selected **limits of public opinion?? 8. Problems associated w/polling: Selection Effects- errors b/c of the way they select respondents Measurement Error- Opinions measured improperly, they�re very dependent on more specific circumstances Confusing Questions (wording of question) Over Simplified Questions- question too blunt, opinions are more complex and need �ifs� in them Bandwagon Effect- closer to an election, people just choose whoever is ahead Lack of Info- people don�t know but answer anyway Dishonesty- to save from embarrassment Halo Effect- people give �good citizen� answers Push Polling- polling technique where pollster asks a respondent a loaded question about a candidate, intended to get a certain response, and also shape that respondent�s perception about the candidate. 9. Before trusting a poll, ask: Who did the research, who paid for it? (major co.�s: Gallup, Roper) Time and Place of the questioning? Who was sampled? (must be random!) Wording of the question (was it leading?) Question Order (ex: asking about economy & president�s approval in same session) 10. The �Fourth Branch of Govt.� : Media, b/c it�s importance in informing people is so great. 11. Function of the media- helps transmit info so voters can make intelligent decisions Plays the role of the watchdog- the only organized, continuous check on official actions and use of govt authority �Nationalization� of the media- national news is pulled from very few same sources. No local perspectives on national events b/c so many media outlets owned by too few corporations. 12. Media type most important: Historically, newspapers. Today, television is most relied on b/c it doesn�t take much effort to sit there and listen to it Others: TV, Newspapers/Magazines, Radio, Internet 13. FCC (Federal Communications Commission) grants licenses to radio and TV stations 14. No govt regulates papers/magazines 15. Media Biases: 1. Ideological- liberal viewpoints are over-represented 2. Biased Story Selection- negative, scandal, and simple stories get more coverage 3. Professional Bias- very few journalists are experts, most are general, so they don�t find all the stories The media helps set the public agenda b/c they control what people think about, even if they cant control what people think 16. Selective Perception- listeners absorb information reinforcing current beliefs, disregarding the rest Agenda Setting- situation where news coverage gets people to think about a certain issue. Media ranks stories in importance. Framing- how the issue is covered, what perceptive, how much depth and attention is given to it. �Stating an argument in such a way as to emphasize one set of considerations and deemphasize others.� 17. A Free Media is necessary for democracy b/c the more voters know about the actions of their governmental leaders, the more they can exert popular influence. Chapter 6 1. Voter Turnout should be the proportion of those able to vote who actually do so. The U.S. Bureau of the Census calculates official turnout in presidential elections as the number of ppl voting for president divided by # of people in voting-age population (18+). Turnout Comparisons with other countries is misleading (according to the authors of the text) b/c other countries choose a different denominator in their turnout calculations, the registered population. 2. **Most states require advanced voter registration b/c��? 4 ways voting requirements have changed: Voluntary changes by the states (religious & property requirements removed) Constitutional Amendments: 15th- African Americans can vote 19th- Women can vote 24th- banned use of poll tax in National Elections 26th- lowered National voting age to 18 Through use of Court decisions Use of Congressional Action (Voting Rights Act of 1965) 3. Major legal restrictions on voting in our history: Property, Religion, Age 4. To get around the 15th Amendment (African Americans can vote), the South used: 1. poll tax, 2. white primaries, 3. literacy test, 4. registration obstacles 5. The Motor Voter Act mandated opportunities to register (getting drivers license, welfare, etc.) Intent was to expand the electorate and make it easier to register. Preliminary evidence suggests that this reform did not make much difference. 6. American Institutions hold down turnout b/c they tend to raise the cost of voting. Also, the U.S. conducts more elections than other countries. |