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Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Socialization:

The Measurements of Public Opinion: Public opinion: those politically relevant opinions held by ordinary citizens that are openly expressed

Polls:      

Traditional method: election results Public opinion poll: estimate of public sentiment Measures public opinion using randomly chosen population sample carefully constructed interviews Sample: a relatively small group of individuals Population: the larger group of individuals Random selection is the key to scientific polling, which is theoretically based on probability sampling

Opinion Dimensions:    

Public opinion is characterized by various dimensions Direction: pro or con position on an issue Intensity: how strongly the position is felt Salience: how important people think the issue is among other issues

Problems with Polls:    

Samples are often based on telephone numbers, but some Americans do not have phones Polled indivdulas may be unfamiliar with issues Respondents are not always truthful Poorly worded questions and poorly ordered questions can also affect results

Political Socialization:  



Partisanship is a learned response acquired via political socialization Process has two distinguishing characteristics o Continues throughout a person’s lifetime o Effects are cumulative Takes place through primary and secondary agents of socialization

Primary Socializing Agents:

Family:  

Strongest of all agents of socialization Has a near- monopoly on the attention of the young child

Schools, principally early childhood education:  

Instrumental in building support for the nation and its cultural beliefs: more so than schools in other democracies Praise for the nations politcal institutions and heroes

Church: 

Scholars have not studied the effects of religion as well as schools or family, but its powerful influence for some

Secondary Socializing Agents: 

With age, additional socializing agents come into play and become sources of opinion o Peers o Media o Leaders o Events

Frames of Reference:  

Reference points by which individuals evaluate issues and developments are acquire through the socialization process Americans’ frames of reference provide an indication of how they think politically and form basis for common cause

Party Identification: emotional loyalty (not formal membership) to a political party   

Major shifts in loyalty are rare Can lead to selective perception Partisanship clearly divides American opinion in the everyday world of politics

Political Ideology: Ideology: a coherent set of political beliefs

    

Few Americans have a true political ideology Economic liberals Cultural liberals Populists Libertarians

Group Orientations: 

Many Americans see politics though the lens of group affinity o Religion o Economic class o Region o Race and ethnicity o Gender o Generations and age

Delegate: view of political representatives: they should act in response to what constituents want

Trustee: view of political representatives: they should take constituents’ concerns into account but exercise judgment about policies that will best serve their interest

Limits on the publics influence:  

Several obstacles stand in the way of governing by public opinion Leaders efforts to influence public opinion can limit its influence

Boundaries of Action:   

Officials normally must operate within the boundary of what the publics will accept Higher public involvement makes it more likely officials will respond to public sentiment Congressional representatives pay close attention to public opinion...