Public Opinion Flashcards

1
Q

a research survey of public opinion

A

poll

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2
Q

the researcher/organization conducting the poll

A

pollster

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3
Q

the individual who takes the poll

A

respondent

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4
Q

a small group selected by a pollster to represent the most important characteristics of an entire population

A

sample

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5
Q

a common method used by pollsters to select a representative sample; every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent; the pollster will make a list of all the geographical units in the country, create groups based on population, and then randomly select respondents within each group in proportion to population

A

probability (random) sampling

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6
Q

respondents are selected at random from a list of ten-digit telephone numbers

A

national sampling (random digit dialing)

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7
Q

a polling method that is based on randomly selecting respondents immediately after they have voted in an election

A

exit polling

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8
Q

an error that occurs as a result of a small sample of the population; sampling error = margin of error; it is determined through results of two different survey samples (e.g. 70% approval rating for a politician in sample 1 vs. 65% approval rating for a politician in sample 2; the sampling error is 5% in this case)

A

sampling error

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9
Q

failure to identify the true distribution of opinion due to the questions being vague or poorly worded

A

measurement error

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10
Q

when a poll conveys the impression that something is significant to the public, but it is not in reality

A

illusion of salience

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11
Q

a polling issue that occurs when the sample is not representative of the population being studied; some opinions are overrepresented, while others are underrepresented

A

selection bias

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12
Q

polling issue that occurs when those who agree to be polled are significantly different from those who refused to take part

A

non-responsive bias

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13
Q

a polling issue that occurs when those surveyed support an individual, party group, etc. because it appears to be successful at that moment or will be successful in the future

A

bandwagon effect

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14
Q

a polling issue in which questions are designed to shape respondents’ opinions

A

push polling

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15
Q

a direct political process that allows the public to petition the government to discuss/debate a specific issue (agenda initiative) or initiate a popular vote on a specific proposal, law, or amendment (referendum initiative); these processes are used at the local level

A

initiative

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16
Q

a direct vote of the electorate on a specific issue of policy

A

referendum

17
Q

a ballot (referendum) initiative to determine whether an elected official should be removed from office; a recent example was California Governor Gavin Newsom, who was subject to a recall referendum in 2021 (Newsom won the recall referendum with 61% of the vote)

A

recall