Chapter 6: Public Opinion

Public Opinion

• In a democracy, government policy is suppose to follow public opinion.

• Yet the history of capital punishment in America shows that government policy may resist public opinion.

• Democratic theory implies that government leaders are able to ascertain what the public is thinking about current political and social issues.

Statistical Sampling Theory

• Sampling theory has made it possible to be better informed about the distribution of the population’s belief and attitudes about politics and government.– Modern survey research methodology allows

national opinion to be estimated within specific degrees of accuracy

Government Policy and Public Opinion

• Knowing how often government policy runs against majority opinion, it becomes harder to defend the U.S. government as democratic under the majoritarian view of democracy.

• To evaluate the role of public opinion in U.S. government, we need to know more about how opinions are distributed and how citizens acquire their opinions.

Public Opinion

• Political Values• How We Form Political Opinions• Measuring Public Opinion• Public Opinion and Democracy• The Citizen’s Role

Public Opinion

• A term used to denote the values and attitudes that people have about issues, events, and personalities.

• Values--are a person’s basic orientations to politics. They are deep rooted goals, aspirations, and ideas that shape an individual’s perceptions of political issues and events.

Public Opinion Matters!

Political Awareness

• Democracy assumes an informed and interested public

• Yet, Americans lack any real political knowledge

• Can you name the president, your members of Congress, the Justices of the U. S. Supreme Court?

• Political knowledge is the foundation for politically active society

Student Interest in Politics

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1966 1976 1986 1996

Politics Important Frequently DicussedLine 3

An Opinionated Public

• Americans possess a wide range of opinions on political matters

• This is particularly true for salient issues

• Salient issues are those issues that are important to that individual

What is Public Opinion?

• Public opinion is the term used to denote beliefs and attitudes that people have about issues, events, and personalities

• We need to understand what factors shape public opinion

Political Ideology

• Political Ideology is a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the role of government.

• In the United States the ideological divide is between conservatism and liberalism.

The Formation of Public Opinion

• Attitudes about political issues and personalities tend to be shaped by underlying beliefs and values

• The process through which these beliefs and values are formed is called political socialization

• SOCIALIZATION– THE PROCESS THROUGH WHICH A PERSON

LEARNS OF VALUES, BELIEFS, AND OPINIONS

• AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION– FAMILY

• THE FIRST AND PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT AGENT

– SCHOOL• A LOT OF HIDDEN CURRICULUM ITEMS WHICH

ATTEMPT TO “INCULATE” GOOD CITIZENSHIP VALUES IN THE PERSON

OTHER AGENTS• RELIGION

– MANY OF A PERSON’S VALUES AND BELIEFS ABOUT POLITICS CAN ORIGINATE IN RELIGIOUS TRAINING

• GENERATIONAL EFFECTS– IMPORTANT EVENTS CAN AFFECT THE VIEWS OF

PERSONS WHO LIVED THROUGH THEM

• LIFE-CYCLE EFFECTS– GETTING OLDER MAY HELP SHAPE A PERSON’S

POLITICAL OPINIONS

• MEDIA INFLUENCE– MASS MEDIA CAN INFLUENCE OUR VIEWS ON

POLITICAL ISSUES

Family• Most people acquire

their initial orientations toward government from their family

• Differences in family background, opinions, child-rearing will ultimately affect your political and social values and beliefs

Social Groups

• Involuntary– Gender

– Race

• Voluntary– Political Parties

– Labor Unions

– Occupational Groups

Education

• Education used to convey a common set of civic values

• Yet, schools are often seen as “boot camps” as they stress order and compliance

• College education stresses participation and democratic values

Religion

Political Conditions

• Historical and cultural events that occur during your life will shape your world view

• Students of the 1960s have a different perspective than students of the 1990s

The Media

From Political Values to Ideology

• An Ideology is a set of underlying orientations, ideas and beliefs

• Liberals generally support social reform and a social safety net

• Conservatives generally prefer the social and economic status quo

Self Identification

Profile of a Liberal

• Advocates increasing taxes for the wealthy

• Advocates a “Right to Food Policy” to make available a nutritionally balanced diet for all U.S. citizens.

• Advocates higher salaries for teachers, more college grants and loans, and doubling the federal education budget

Profile of a Liberal

• Favors foreign assistance programs designed to wipe out hunger and starvation throughout the world.

• Advocates the establishment of a national health care program for all citizens.

• Advocates dramatic expansion of federal social and urban programs.

Profile of a Conservative

• Wants to trim the size of the federal government and transfer power to state and local governments.

• Favors prayer in school

• Opposes gay right legislation

• Opposes affirmative action.

• Favors making most abortions illegal.

Profile of a Conservative

• Supports programs that would allow children and parents more flexibility in deciding what schools to attend.

• Would eliminate some environment regulations.

• Opposes U.S. participation in international organizations.

The ideological conundrum

• Liberal

• Conservative

How We Form Public Opinion

• Political Knowledge• The Influence of

Political Leaders, Private Groups, and the Media

How We Form Political Opinions:Questions

• What influences the way we form political opinions?

• How are political issues marketed and managed by the government, private groups, and the media?

Political Knowledge• Political activity is a

function of awareness and interest

• The lack of political knowledge can lead to inconsistencies between beliefs and opinions

• Political efficacy is the belief that you have an ability to influence government and politics

The Influence of Political Leaders, Private Groups and the Media

• Government and Public Opinion

• Private Groups and Public Opinion

• The Media and Public Opinion

Government and Public Opinion

• All governments attempt to influence, manipulate, or manage their citizens beliefs

• Nationalism and encouraging participation allow citizens to buy into the system

Political Trust

Confidence in Institutions

Private Groups and Public Opinion

• Interest groups also attempt to mobilize the public to support their issues and put pressure on government officials

The Media and Public Opinion

• The communication media are among the most powerful forces operating in the market place of ideas

Measuring Public Opinion

• Constructing Public Opinion From Surveys

• Public Opinion, Political Knowledge, and the Importance of Ignorance

Measuring Public Opinion:Questions

• How can public opinion be measured?

• What problems arise from public opinion polling?

Constructing Public Opinion from Surveys

• Public opinion polls are scientific instruments for measuring public opinion

• To be accurate, the poll must be based on a representative sample of the population

• The validity of the poll depends on the sampling procedure used

• 1,500 samples are needed for a national survey

Public Opinion Analysis

• Public opinion can be analyzed according to the shape and stability of the distribution of opinions among citizens.

• The shape of the distribution refers to the pattern or physical form of the responses when counted and plotted.

Skewed Distribution

Capital Punishment

Consensus Opinion

Bimodal Distribution

Abortion

Divisive Opinion

Normal Distribution

Political Ideology

Problems with Polls

• The Good Citizen Response

• The Bandwagon Effect

• Inconsistent Responses

• Survey Wording

Public Opinion, Political Knowledge and Ignorance

• The lack of political knowledge and problems with polling weaken the validity of some polls

• We know more now about the lack of political awareness

Public Opinion and Democracy:Do You Make a Difference?

• Americans lack a sense of political efficacy (a feeling that they make difference in the way government works)

• Is government responsive to public opinion?

The Citizens Role

• The public must gather information and become knowledgeable

• This can be done rather easily through an active media

• The role of the media will be examined in the next chapter

PUBLIC OPINION• PUBLIC OPINION

– THE AGGREGATE OF ATTITUDES AND OPINIONS OF INDIVIDUALS ON ISSUES

– SURVEY RESEARCH• GATHERING TECHINIQUE FOR

COLLECTING DATA BY ASKING A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF THE POPULATION

– PROBLEMS WITH COLLECTING DATA• HALO EFFECT• INCONSISTENCIES IN RESPONSES• INSTABILITY SINCE ITS “OFF THE CUFF”• SALIENCE SINCE ISSUES ARE IMPORTANT

OTHER FACTORS WHICH MAY LEAD TO VARIATION IN OPINION

• GENDER AND OPINION– GENDER GAP REFERS TO A

DIFFERENCE OF OPINION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

• RACE AND OPINION– DIFFERENCES IN OPINION CAN EXIST

BETWEEN RACES

THE RIGHT TO VOTE• SUFFRAGE

– THE STRUGGLE FOR GROUPS TO GAIN THE LEGAL RIGHT TO VOTE

• IMPORTANT EVENTS– ELIMINATION OF PROPERTY QUALIFICATIONS, 1800-1840

• BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, WHITE MALES OVER 21 YEARS OF AGE COULD VOTE

– FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT, 1870• THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR BLACKS

– THE NINETEENTH AMENDMENT, 1920• THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR WOMEN

– THE TWENTY-SIXTH AMENDMENT, 1971• THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR 18 YEAR OLDS

– THE NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION ACT, 1993• ENSURING PEOPLE HAVE THE CHANCE TO REGISTER AND TO

STAY ON REGISTRATION LISTS ONCE THERE

VOTER TURNOUT• TURNOUT

– THE NUMBER OF ACTUAL VOTERS IN RELATION TO THE NUMBER ELIGIBLE TO VOTE

• THE RATIONAL VOTER– A VOTER MAY FEEL THAT HE OR

SHE SHOULD VOTE IF THE VOTE WILL HAVE SOME MEASUREABLE IMPACT OR VALUE

• VOTER REGISTRATION– THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A

“VOTING ID,” IS STILL PROBLEMATIC IN AMERICA

FIGHTING FOR VOTES• THE STIMULUS OF COMPETITION

– THE MORE LIVELY THE DEBATE BETWEEN PARTIES, THE MORE PARICIPATION IS DRUMMED UP

• POLITICAL ALIENATION– DEVELOPING AN APATHY TOWARD POLITICS IN

GENERAL

• INTENSITY– ONE’S SOCIALIZATION EXPERIENCE HELPS INTENSIFY

OR DIMINISH A PERSON’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS VOTING

• EXPLAINING TURNOUT IN AMERICA– INCREASING DISTRUST OF SYSTEM

– YOUNG PEOPLE TEND NOT TO VOTE

– LACK OF STRONG POLITICAL MACHINERY WITHIN THE SYSTEM

ACTIVISM AND PROTEST • CITIZEN ACTIVIST

– PEOPLE WHOSE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION EXTENDS BEYOND VOTING TO OTHER POLITICAL ACTIVITIES

• PROTESTING CALLS ATTENTION TO SOCIAL ISSUES, MOTIVATES OTHERS INTO ACTION, AND APPLIES PRESSURE ON PUBLIC OFFICIALS– CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

• A FORM OF PUBLIC PROTEST INVOLVING THE BREAKING OF LAWS BELIEVED TO BE UNJUST

– VIOLENCE• ASSASSINATIONS, RIOTING, LOOTING, ETC.

Fundamental Values

• Americans generally share the core values of liberty, equality and democracy

• But note, that our understanding of what these values represent may differ

• For example, we may disagree on what equality means

Forms of Disagreement

• American public opinion, however, is characterized by vigorous debate on a wide range of political issues

• For example, should there be limits on racist or sexist speech?