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Pol Notes 4%2F10%2F2017
Introduction to American Politics (Pol 101)
University of Mississippi
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What is public opinion? Views of the citizenry about politics, public issues and public a complex collection of opinions held many people on issues in the public arena How do we measure public opinion? Public Opinion Polls Numerical survey of the opinion on a particular topic at a particular time Politicians, political parties, etc. want to measure the public opinions to check approval ratings and measure their chances of reelection. Types of Polls Exit polls:a poll exhibited after people exits the polls on election day There are issues with this because there are concerns that it does not contain an adequate representative sample Also, bias is an issue with this poll. Last, but not least,lack of participation is an issue with this type of poll. Straw Polls: a nonscientific focuses on a particular group sample) Main issue with this poll is that it does not have a representative sample. Push polls: No care in used to manipulate the respondent For example, the poll election between John McCain and George W. Bush where they asked the participating group if that would vote for John McCain if he fathered an illegitimate black child, so when they saw him the next day with his adopted daughter, he lost votes. The Reliability of Polls Sample bias is common due to the following Sample is too small Sample is not random Poll questions are not worded correctly (Phrasing can be used to confuse or manipulate the audience) You must consider who conducted the poll was the poll conducted Is Public Opinion Meaningful? Minimalist Paradigm: most people pay minimum attention to issues and have minimal information about them Campbell et al (1960) average citizens is very much less involved in politics than is often imagined . This awareness of political events is limited and his concern with ideological problems is only Is public opinion meaningful Can the masses learn from elites? Converse little information trickles down very Most votes have Achen argued that methodology contributed to these results Important concern: the possibility that a survey might be used to actually shape public opinion rather than just report it as a consequence of the preferences of those conducting or paying for the poll Zaller. questions do not simply measure public opinion. They also shape and channel it the manner in which they frame issues, order alternatives, and set forth the context of the What do Americans know or not know about politics does it matter? Delli Carpini Keeter (1996) Significant percentages of Americans were not able to answer basic questions about American government. More problematic is that political knowledge was predictably and unequally distributed. Cues, Information, Shortcuts Aggregation: A more optimistic view of public opinion Party ID Typically people who are not politically inclined make political choices based on their partisanship Processing ability to receive and evaluate info as events happen. Allow us to remember our evaluation even if we have forgotten specific events that cause it (Lodge, McGraw Stroh 1989) Important info receives more weight than unimportant info. ANd political sophisticates are more efficient processors (McGraw, Lodge, 1990) Infor Shortcuts Two Step Flow of Information Process which citizens take political cues from more opinion leaders
Pol Notes 4%2F10%2F2017
Course: Introduction to American Politics (Pol 101)
University: University of Mississippi
