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
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
1966 1976 1986 1996
Politics Important Frequently Dicussed Line 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?