Chapter 11- Political Opinion

Question 1

Public opinion

Answer 1

What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time
Example of power of public opinion:
-Uncle Tom’s cabin arguably convinced the majority of Northerners of the justness of the abolitionist cause and solidified public opinion in the north against slavery

Question 2

Public opinion polls

Answer 2

Interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population

Question 3

Straw polls

Answer 3

Unscientific surveys used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues and policies

Question 4

Political socialization

Answer 4

The process through which an individual acquires particular political orientation; the learning process by which people acquire their political beliefs and values
-Examples include family, school, peers, religion, the mass media, and social groups

Question 5

Political ideology

Answer 5

The coherent set of values and believes about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals

Question 6

Random sampling

Answer 6

A method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected

Question 7

Stratified sampling

Answer 7

A variation of random sampling; consensus data are used to divide the country into four sampling regions. Sets of counties and standard metropolitan statistical areas are then randomly selected in proportion to the total national population

Question 8

Push polls

Answer 8

Polls taken for the purpose of providing information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate

Question 9

Tracking polls

Answer 9

Continuous surveys that enable a campaign to chart its daily rise or fall in support

Question 10

Exit polls

Answer 10

Polls conducted at selected polling places on Election Day

Question 11

Sampling error or margin of error

Answer 11

A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll