Patterson8_tb_ch06 Public Opinion and Political Socialization Shaping the People’s Voice

8/9/2019 Patterson8_tb_ch06 Public Opinion and Political Socialization Shaping the People’s Voice

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Chapter SixPublic Opinion and Political Socialization: Shaping the People’sVoice

Multiple Choice

1. George Gallup, the founder of the public opinion polling industry in the United States,argued that leadersa. must be in close touch with public opinion if they are to serve the people’s true

interests. b. should never make a decision without consulting the opinion polls.c. should keep their distance from the public, since enlightened leadership is a better

guide to policy than the public’s passing whims.d. should pay attention to the polls during election campaigns, but not when

formulating policies.

e. should not be overly attentive to public opinion polls.Answer a!age 1"#

#. !ublic opinion is ordinarily used in reference to the whole society. $his perspective isa. accurate, since Americans are one people and indivisible. b. less accurate than a view of public opinion based on the ma%ority, since the political

system operates on the principle of ma%ority rule.c. less accurate than the idea that Americans form many publics, which differ greatly

in such things as the level of attention they pay to politics.d. less accurate than a view of public opinion based on what the news media are

saying about the public.e. accurate, because there is little diversity in American public opinion.

Answer c!age 1&&

'. (n his definition of public opinion, the author claims that the opinions of private individuals become public opinion when theya. first enter people’s heads. b. are e)pressed publicly.c. become part of the conflict between the *epublican and +emocratic parties.d. are measured in opinion polls.

e. become part of the conflict between populists and libertarians.Answer b!age 1&"

. A member of -ongress who wants to act on what the ma%ority of his or her constituencythinks on a particular issue would be advised to respond to which of the followingindicatorsa. letters from constituents b. the editorial positions of newspapers in the constituency



c. public demonstrations by constituentsd. a poll based on a random sample of constituents

e. the number of yard signs on ma%or streetsAnswer d!age 1"#

/. $he accuracy of a poll is usually e)pressed in terms of a. population density. b. census parameter.c. population error.d. sampling error.

e. interview error.Answer d!age 1"1

&. $he key factor in estimating the mathematical accuracy of an opinion poll isa. population si0eif the population is too big, the poll’s accuracy cannot be assessed.

b. sample si0eif the sample is too small 2less than 13334, the poll’s accuracy cannot be determined.

c. whether the sample was selected from the population by a random method.d. whether the sample has the same percentage of men and women as the population.

e. whether the sample has the same percentage of African Americans, 5atinoAmericans, Asian Americans, and 6ative Americans as are in the population.

Answer c!age 1&7

". Sources of polling error includea. poorly trained interviewers.

b. unrepresentative samples.c. respondents’ lack of knowledge or interest.d. poorly worded 8uestions.

e. All of the answers are correct.Answer e!age 1"#

9. (n general, polls indicate that American public opinion isa. highly informed in the sense that most citi0ens have a lot of accurate information

about politics and public affairs. b. e)tremely well informed about domestic issues but not very informed about

international issues.c. e)tremely well informed about international issues but not very informed about

domestic issues.d. highly informed about election campaign issues but otherwise uninformed about

political issues.e. 6one of the above answers is correct.Answer e!age 1&9



7. $he process of political learning in the United States isa. normally cumulative: political beliefs attained earlier in life tend to be retained to a

substantial degree. b. highly structured: children are sub%ected to an intense system of government

mandated political indoctrination.c. highly effective: Americans are the bestinformed citi0ens in the world.d. e)tremely narrow: most Americans get nearly all their opinions from a single

source.e. uniform: there are almost no differences in the opinions of various groups, such asnortherners and southerners.

Answer a!age 1"'

13. +ramatic change in public opinion on basic issues is uncommon and is almost always aconse8uence of a. a change in the policy position of the president. b. an e)traordinary change in national conditions.

c. popular satisfaction with a government initiative.d. a change in the law.

e. a Supreme -ourt ruling.Answer b!age 1"'

11. $he process by which individuals ac8uire their opinions is calleda. popular culture. b. social communication.c. socioeconomic change.d. political sociali0ation.

e. political assimilation.Answer d!age 1"'

1#. As an agent of political sociali0ation, the American family has its greatest effect onindividuals’a. party identification. b. opinion on the presidency.c. opinion on particular policies.d. information about particular public policies.

e. opinion on -ongress.Answer a!age 1"'

1'. $he American political culture affects public opinion primarily bya. providing precise responses to emerging policy problems. b. influencing American’s views of what is politically desirable and acceptable.c. creating a public dialogue about the proper goals of government.d. encouraging close attention to news of political issues.

e. stressing the importance of political knowledge in the United States.



Answer b!age 1"&

1. A consistent pattern of opinion on particular issues that stems from a basic underlying belief is calleda. conservatism. b. an ideology.c. sociali0ation.d. politici0ation.

e. 6one of the answers are correct.Answer b!age 1""

1/. ;ost studies on the influence of ideology on public opinion agree thata. liberalism and conservatism have such imprecise meanings that it is not useful to

think about politics in these terms. b. Americans overwhelmingly identify themselves as liberals.

c. Americans are highly sophisticated in their political thinking.d. only a minority of Americans understand and apply ideological frames of reference.

e. Americans are highly consistent in their political thinking.Answer d!age 1"9

1&. 5iberals are correctly described by all of the following statements e)cepta. they favor government activism in the area of economic security. b. they strongly support civil liberties.c. they favor more government spending for the poor.d. they strongly support civil rights.

e. they believe that traditional values should be upheld even at a considerable cost tothose citi0ens who disagree with those values.

Answer e!age 1"9

1". (n comparison to <uropeans, Americans’ awareness of public affairsa. is about the same. b. is higher.c. is lower.d. is higher on domestic issues but lower on international issues.

e. is lower on domestic issues but higher on international issues.Answer c!age 1&9

19. As a reference point for their opinions on particular issues, people are most likely to relyona. ideology. b. a group to which they belong or with which they strongly identify.c. the editorial position of the local newspaper.d. beliefs ac8uired while in high school.



e. positions taken by the president.Answer b!age 1"7

17. ======== rank highest in terms of e)pressing pride in their nation.a. ;e)icans b. Germansc. Americansd. *ussians

e. (taliansAnswer c!age 1"

#3. $he only presidential election in which the Gallup !oll erred badly was.a. 17#9 >ooverSmith. b. 17'& *oosevelt5andon.c. 179 $ruman+ewey.

d. 17& ?ohnsonGoldwater.e. #333 @ushGore.

Answer c!age 1"1

#1. As an influence on Americans’ political opinions, religious differences area. most evident in the conte)t of economic issues, such as poverty programs. b. not a significant factor.c. most evident in the conte)t of foreign policy, as evidenced by Americans’ support

for -hristian nations and opposition to (slamic fundamentalism.d. most evident in the conte)t of social policy issues, such as school prayer and

abortion, where Americans of different religious beliefs hold substantially differentopinions.

e. most evident in the conte)t of space e)ploration and travel.Answer d!age 193

##. omen are less likely then men to favor a. affirmative action. b. abortion rights.c. higher levels of education spending.d. the use of force to settle international disputes.

e. All of the answers are correct.Answer d!age 191

#'. $he most comprehensive study ever conducted on public opinion and policy shows(n their study of public opinion and policy, @en%amin !age and *obert Shapiro concluded

thata. there is no relationship between public opinion and policy. b. when public opinion changes, public policy then tends to change in the same



direction.c. public policy is nothing more than a mirror of what public opinion is at any point in

time.d. policy change tends to follow opinion change, but only on less important issues.

e. U.S. officials are not responsive to public opinion.Answer b!age 19

#. All of the following ideological types are prevalent in the United States e)cepta. liberals. b. conservatives.c. populists.d. libertarians.

e. socialists.Answer e!age 1"9

#/. -ompared to citi0ens of most other industriali0ed democracies, Americansa. know more about public affairs. b. have more national pride.c. have less national pride.d. 6one of the answers are correct.

e. All of the answers are correct.Answer b!age 1"

#&. hen asked 8uestions such as B>ow proud are you to be an American citi0enC what isthe typical response by American citi0ens

a. All Americans e)cept >ispanic Americans are very proud. b. All Americans e)cept the poor are very proud.c. Americans of all backgrounds and age levels e)press a strong attachment to the

nation.d. $he young answer Bnot very proudC or Bnot proud at all.C

e. All Americans e)cept conservatives are very proud.Answer c!age 1"

#". hich region of the nation has the highest concentration of citi0ens who call themselvesliberalsa. the !lains states b. the Southc. the 6ortheastd. the ;ountain states

e. the SouthwestAnswer c!age 1""

#9. All of the following are ideologies e)cept



a. fascism. b. communism.c. socialism .d. conservatism.

e. All of the answers are ideologies.Answer e!age 1""

#7. hich of the following is true about American public opiniona. American public opinion can be contradictory. b. Americans believe that ta) rates are too low.c. Americans believe that too much money is spent on education.d. Americans believe that too much money is spent on environmental protection.

e. Americans believe that too much money is spent on public health.Answer a!age 1&"

'3. $he fact that Americans want more government services but also want ta) reductionshows that opinions are fre8uentlya. motivated by emotion. b. contradictory.c. consistent.d. based upon careful thought.

e. based on e)tensive research.Answer b!age 1&"

'1. hich of the following is not a common ideal in America

a. liberty b. e8ualityc. individualismd. selfgovernment

e. collectivismAnswer e!age 1"&

'#. About twothirds of adults call themselves, in terms of party identification,a. liberals. b. *epublicans or +emocrats.c. *epublicans.d. (ndependents.e. +emocrats.Answer b!age 19'

''. As an influence on what happens in American politics, public opinion can be described as

a2n4 ======= force.a. elusive



b. powerfulc. ine)actd. contradictory

e. All of the answers are correct.Answer e!age 19/

'. (n general, public opiniona. determines government action. b. is unrelated to government action.c. sets broad limits on government action.d. affects government action only on election issues.

e. is only important during a presidential election.Answer c!age 1&/

'/. <li0abeth 6oelle6eumann’s spiral of silence theory contends that

a. most individuals are reluctant to speak out against dominant opinion held by peersand others with whom they associate..

b. people tend not to e)press their views until asked.c. people holding deviant opinions tend to be more vocal, and hence silence

the ma%ority.d. most individuals like to challenge dominant opinions.e. 6one of the answers are correct.Answer a

!age 1"/ '&. hich of the following ideological types favor government activism in the economic

realma. liberals and populists b. populists and libertariansc. conservatives and liberalsd. populists and conservatives

e. liberals and libertariansAnswer a!age 1"9

'". $he most powerful religious force in contemporary American society isDarea. !rotestants. b. the religious right.c. -atholics.d. ?ews.

e. ;uslims.Answer b!age 193

'9. $he theorist who was originally an advocate of government by enlightened rulers, butcame to believe that the public’s views had to be taken into account if leaders were to



govern properly isa. ?eremy @entham. b. !lato.c. ?ames ;adison.d. $homas >obbes.

e. ?ohn +ewey.Answer a!age 1&&

'7. $hreefourths of (vy5eague students surveyed could not identify ======== as the authorof the phrase, Ba government of the people, by the people, and for the people.Ca. George ashington b. ?ames ;adisonc. George Gallupd. Abraham 5incoln

e. $homas ?effersonAnswer d

!age 1&9

3. hich of the following is true about public opinion pollinga. !olls are the most reliedupon method of measuring public opinion. b. !olls can be erroneous at times.c. ;ost large news organi0ations have their own inhouse polls.d. $he Gallup pollsters have correctly predicted the winner of presidential elections

most of the time since 17'&.e. All of the answers are correct.

Answer e!age 1"1

1. hich of the following is a means of %udging public opiniona. a citi0en’s letter to the editor b. activities of lobbyistsc. crowds demonstrating on the streetd. yard signs

e. All of the answers are correct.Answer e!age 1&9

#. ======== significantly changed American attitudes about the role of the federalgovernment in the economy.a. $he ar of 191# b. $he SpanishAmerican arc. $he -alifornia Gold *ushd. $he Great +epression

e. $he -ivil ar Answer d!age 1"'



'. (f the sampling error in a properly conducted poll is plus or minus percent, and the pollindicates that candidate E has the support of &3 percent of the respondents, then the probability is high that candidate actually has the support ofa. &3 percent of the voters. b. between /& and & percent of the voters.c. no less than &3 percent of the voters.d. no more than &3 percent of the voters.

e. 6one of the answers are correct.Answer b!age 1"1

, *oughly what proportion of Americans prefer to identify themselves as an (ndependentrather than as a +emocrat or *epublican

a. about twothirds b. more than half but less than twothirdsc. about halfd. about a third

e. 6one of the answers are correct.Answer d!age 19'

/. $hat Americans have a different view toward universal health care in comparison to the<uropeans is probably due to Americans’ deeprooted belief ina. individualism. b. democracy.c. selfgovernment.d. e8uality.

e. collectivism.

Answer a!age 1"&

&. 5ibertarians are opposed to governmental intervention ina. both the economic and social spheres. b. the economic sphere, but not the social sphere.c. the social sphere, but not the economic sphere.d. neither the social nor the economic spheres.

e. only affirmative action.Answer a!age 1"9

". A conservative is opposed to government intervention ina. both the economic and social spheres. b. the economic sphere, but not the social sphere.c. the social sphere, but not the economic sphere.d. neither the social nor the economic spheres.

f. only affirmative action.Answer b!age 1"9



Essay/Short Answer

1. (dentify and discuss the frames of reference that Americans rely upon when forming their political opinions.

Answer $he four frames of reference are cultural thinking, ideological thinking, groupthinking, and partisan thinking. -ultural thinking refers to the influence upon publicopinion of ideals that define American political culture. $hese ideals, such as individualism,e8uality, and selfgovernment, affect what people will regard as politically desirable andacceptable. (deological thinking is a lesscommon means of opinion formation. Fpinionswithin this frame of reference are formed on the basis of an individual’s ideology, which isa consistent pattern of opinion on particular issues that stems from a basic underlying belief or beliefs. (n contemporary American politics, liberalism and conservatism aree)amples of ideologies. Group thinking has been found to be a more important frame of

reference for opinion formation for most people than is ideological thinking. Groupthinking entails viewing politics through the shared perceptions of a group to whichindividuals belong or with which they identify. Some of the more significant grouporientations include religion, income, occupation, region, race, and gender. !artisanthinking is the ma%or frame of reference by which many people make their political %udgments. !ersonal loyalty to the +emocratic or *epublican party is a strong influence onhow Americans view political issues, leaders, and developments.

#. +iscuss the ma%or characteristics of the political sociali0ation process through whichAmericans ac8uire their political opinions.

Answer A first characteristic of political sociali0ation is that most people’s politicaloutlook rigidifies with age, despite the fact that sociali0ation continues throughout life. Asecond characteristic is that political sociali0ation tends to be fairly uncritical. (ndividualsrarely e)amine their political preferences closely once they are formed and acceptsociali0ation without much scrutiny. A third characteristic of political sociali0ation in theUnited States is that it is relatively casual. Sociali0ation occurs through subtle means suchas everyday communication. Americans are not sub%ect to rigid programs of politicalindoctrination.

'. +efine what is meant by a political ideology. hy is ideology important to consider whendiscussing the political thinking of the American people

Answer !olitical ideology is a consistent pattern of opinion on particular issues that stemsfrom a basic underlying belief or beliefs. >owever, these are relatively sophisticated patterns of belief, and most citi0ens do not think about politics in such a consistentfashion. Fnly a minorityperhaps as few as a tenth and no more than a thirddo so. 6onetheless, ideology is still important politically. Fne reason is that the proportion ofciti0ens who think ideologically is si0able even though it is a minority. Also, this proportion increases when the political alternatives are more ideological than is normal. Asecond reason is that ideology is concentrated among those who are the most politically



vocal and visiblethe political activists. $hese activists tend to play a disproportional rolein American politics.

. +iscuss the general relationship between public opinion and the actions of government.

Answer !ublic opinion has a powerful though ine)act influence on government. Although public opinion rarely determines e)actly what government will do, public opinion serves toconstrain the policy choices of officials. Some policy actions are beyond the range of possibility because the public will not accept change in e)isting policy or will not support policy that clearly conflicts with basic values. (n addition, officials must anticipate the public response to policy, since people may react negatively to policies that fail or arefollowed by unfavorable developments. <vidence indicates officials are reasonablyattentive to public opinion, particularly on highly visible issues of public policy.

/. >ow informed is American public opinion <)plain.

Answer $he American public has a generally low level of knowledge about politics and

public affairs. ;ost citi0ens routinely flunk current affairs tests administered by pollsters.Het the public’s lack of information about specific issues is not as significant a factor assome might perceive. -iti0ens do not necessarily need to be wellinformed about a particular issue to have a reasonable opinion about it.

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Patterson8_tb_ch06 Public Opinion and Political Socialization Shaping the People’s Voice