CHAPTER FOUR: PUBLIC OPINION. Nature of Public Opinion Public Opinion – the collection of...
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Transcript of CHAPTER FOUR: PUBLIC OPINION. Nature of Public Opinion Public Opinion – the collection of...
CHAPTER FOUR:
PUBLIC OPINION
Nature of Public Opinion
• Public Opinion – the collection of individual opinions toward issues or objects of general interests, that is, those that concern a significant number of people
Formation of Public Opinion
• Political Socialization – learning about politics by exposure to new information supplied or filtered through parents, peers, schools, the media, political leaders, and the community.
Agents of Political Socialization, I
• The Family:• Parents share their opinions and children
imitate them;• Children reflect what they learn in the home;• Children inherit their social and economic
positions from their parents;• Agreement with parents declines when young
adults leave the home
Agents of Political Socialization, II
• School:• Schools promote patriotic rituals;• Textbooks foster commitment to government
and the status quo;• Reading habits and language skills help build
democratic citizenship;• College broadens students’ perspectives and
leads to greater understanding of the world
Agents of Political Socialization, III
• Peers:
• Have the most influence when the peer group is attractive to the individual and when the individual spends time with the group.
Agents of Political Socialization, IV
• Adult Socialization:
• Political opinions are affected by such factors as marriage, divorce, unemployment, new jobs, or moves to new locations.
Measuring Public Opinion, I
• Early polling efforts:
• Straw polls – unscientific polls run by newspapers or other media sources that attempt to forecast election outcomes
Measuring Public Opinion, II
• Emergence of Scientific Polling:
• Beginning after WWII and based on marketing research;
• Applies mathematical principles of probability;
• Gallup among the first to use the technique
Measuring Public Opinion, III • Polls and Politics:
• Polling catches on with politicians in the 1960s;• Presidents often follow polls on a weekly basis and
shape their messages based on these polls;• “Crafted talk” is allows politicians to move away from
the center and cater to the more extremist views of their base while appearing to be mainstream;
• Push polls – polls that try to determine if certain information can “push” voters in a particular direction
Knowledge and Information
• Many Americans do not know much about government beyond the Constitution;
• Most Americans do not keep up with what goes on in Washington, DC;
• Lack of knowledge prevents Americans from holding government accountable;
• Failure to stay informed means politicians can ignore what the public wants
Ideology
• Defined as a worldview leading to a consistent and coherent set of opinions on political issues, toward political personalities, or on political parties.
Types of Ideologies, I• Liberalism – viewing the national government as a
constructive force to extend a helping hand in such areas as:
• Economic recessions and unemployment;
• Improve schools;
• Gaining health insurance for individuals and families;
• Providing a cleaner environment and safer working conditions
Types of Ideologies, II• Conservatism – the notion that the nation and the
economy are best served if they are free of government interference:
• Government is not seen as a constructive force except in national security;
• The free market should be allowed to function;
• Individuals are responsible for their own well-being;
• Government should be small
Social Welfare and the Proper Role of Government
• Most Americans want to see government spend more for social programs;
• Americans favor helping the poor, but do not like “welfare”;
• Americans also think their taxes are too high;• The public generally thinks more favorably of
state rather than the federal government
Social Issues
• Social issues represent a clash of values between:• Those who want to impose a set of
standards on society; and• Those who believe such things
should be left to individuals to decide
Race
• Americans are increasingly opposed to discrimination and segregation but are divided as to how to achieve this:• African Americans and white Americans
live in different perceptual worlds;• Attitudes toward Arab-Americans have
become less trusting since 9/11
Political Tolerance• The willingness of individuals to extend
procedural rights and liberties to people with whom they disagree:• Fulbright’s comment: “American believe in
the right to free speech until someone tries to exercise it”;
• Elites tend to be more tolerant than the general public
Trust in Government
• Public trust of government has declined significantly in the last forty years
Trust in Government Declined during the 1960s and 1970s
Conclusions
• Policy may change with changes in opinions but sometimes it does not;
• Public officials must pay attention to the intensity of public opinion;
• Public opinion is not the only influence on public policy, nor is it necessarily the most important