Public Opinion Flashcards
(115 cards)
1
Q
________ information is one person’s opinion.
A
Subjective
2
Q
_________ information reviews many points of view and is intended to be unbiased.
A
Objective
3
Q
The aggregation of views shared by a segment of society on issues of interest or concern is called ____ ______.
A
public opinion
4
Q
These views may focus on f_____ policy, d______, or l______ policy issues.
A
foreign policy, domestic, or local policy
5
Q
Public opinion helps leaders shape ____ ____.
A
Public policy
6
Q
______ ______ are the choices the government makes and the actions it takes in response to a particular issue or problem.
A
public policy
7
Q
______ ______ also indicates how well the government is responding to the will of the people.
A
public opinions
8
Q
Public Opinion can be viewed in two ways:
The first is to consider the “______” as a single, centralized body.
The second view is that the public is many separate, individual “_____“each with its opinion on one or a few issues.
A
- public
2. publics
9
Q
Responsible citizens try to _____ public opinion/
A
Shape
10
Q
They can express their opinion by:
- W______ W___ L____
- L_____ t___ t____ m___
- T_____ a____ a p____ h_____
- T_____ p___ in m_____ or d________
A
- Writing web logs
- letters to the major
- testifying at a public hearing
- take part in marches or demonstrations
11
Q
Many citizens also _____ and _____ groups or organizations that represent their views such as mothers against drunk driving and friends of the earth.
A
join and support
12
Q
Responsible citizens express their opinions on v____.
A
voting
13
Q
The outcome of any election (local, state, federal) reflects overall ____ ______ about the candidate or issue being voted on.
A
public issue
14
Q
People may vote for a ___1_ because he or she agrees with their general views, is the ___2__, shares their view on a single issue.
A
- candidate
2. incumbent
15
Q
People’s opinions are influenced by several factors, including their family, friends, school, social characteristics, M_____ M_____, w_____, a_____, g______, r_______ and r_______
A
- Mass Media
- Work
- Age
- gender
- race
- religion
16
Q
The process by which people acquire political beliefs is called ______ ______.
A
Political Socialization
17
Q
In most cases, the political party of the parents becomes the party of their ______.
A
Children
18
Q
More than _____-____ of all voters continue to favor the political party their parents supported.
A
Two-thirds
19
Q
_______ is where we formally learn about government, citizenship and other values.
A
School
20
Q
Experiences in the late ____ and early twenties also help shape personal opinions.
A
teens
21
Q
In some cases, a person’s _____ beliefs might influence his or her opinions about marriage, abortion, prayer in school, and other public policy issues.
A
religious
22
Q
____, especially television, provide political information and images that can directly influence political attitudes.
A
Media
23
Q
The _______ especially has a tremendous influence on people’s opinion.
A
President
24
Q
________ who come across sincere, personable, and intelligent are particularly effective in influencing opinions on major issues.
A
Lawmakers
25
Most individuals are unaware that ____ ______ occurs in their lives because it is a slow process that happens over a lifetime.
Political socialization
26
People do not realize that this socialization has a direct effect upon their feelings of ____ _____.
political efficacy
27
______ _______ refers to an individual's feeling of effectiveness in politics.
Political efficacy
28
Without _____ participation, democracies would be unable to realize the concept of government.
citizen
29
Every nation in the world has a ______ ______, a set of basic values and beliefs about a nation and its government that most citizens share.
Political culture
30
Support for the constitution and Bill of Rights, commitment to the idea of ______ ______, belief in the virtue of private property, and emphasis on individual achievement.
political equality
31
American Political culture helps shape public opinion in the U.S in two ways
1. A C_______ for opinion.
2. S________ information.
1. A context for opinion
| 2. Screening information
32
Public opinion on any issue or problem always fits within the ____ of the political culture sets.
limits
33
A nation's _______ ______ also influences how its citizens interpret what they see and hear everyday.
Political culture
34
People's opinions are influenced by several factors, including their family, f_____, s______,
social c_________, mass media, work , age, gender, race, and religion.
1. family
2. school
3. characteristics
35
The process by which people acquire political beliefs is called ______ ________.
political socialization
36
In most cases, the political party of the parents become the political party of their _______.
Children
37
More than ___-___ of all voters continue to favor the political party their parents supported.
two-thirds
38
______ is where we formally learn about government, citizenship, and other values.
school
39
Experiences in the late____ and early_____ also help shape personal opinions.
1. teens
| 2. twenties
40
At that stage, _____ are more independent of family influences.
people
41
In some cases, a person's _____ ____ might influence his or her opinions about marriage, abortion, prayer in school, and other public policy issues.
religious beliefs
42
_____, especially television, provide political information and images that can directly influence political attitudes.
media
43
The way the media depicts different groups in society can either ____ or create _____
discredit or create stereotypes.
44
The ______ especially has a tremendous influence on people's opinion.
president
45
_______ who come across sincere, personable, and intelligent are particularly effective in influencing opinions on major issues.
Lawmakers
46
_______ ______ refers to an individual's feelings of effectiveness in politics.
Political efficacy
47
Without _______ _______, democracies would be unable to realize the concept of government.
citizen participation
48
Every nation in the world has a _____ _____, a set of basic values and beliefs about a nation and its government that most citizens share.
political culture
49
American political culture helps shape public opinion in the United States in two ways:
1. A context for opinion
| 2. Screening information
50
Public opinion or any issue or problem almost always fits within the limits the _____ _____ sets.
political culture
51
A nation's ______ _____ also influences how its citizens interpret what they see and hear every day.
Political culture
52
An _______ is a set of basic beliefs about life, culture, government, and society.
Ideology
53
____ show that many people express inconsistent opinions on issues.
polls
54
American political values tend to fall into two broad but distinct patterns of opinions toward government and public policies:
1. Liberal (democrat)
| 2. Conservative (republican)
55
A _____ are willing to curtail economic freedom to increase equality.
Liberal
56
Liberals believe the government should not ____ most individual freedoms.
restrict
57
A ______ believes in limiting the role of government, except in supporting traditional moral values.
Conservative
58
Conservatives believe _____ _____, not the government, should solve social problems.
private individuals
59
They _____ government limitations on businesses and believe free markets ensure the best economic outcomes.
oppose
60
_______ fall between liberals and conservatives.
Moderates
61
A ________ may want the government to regulate business and support traditional values.
Moderate
62
_________ support both economic and social freedoms-free markets and unrestricted speech.
Liberatians
63
An _____ ______ of people who share common goals and organize to influence government .
Interest group
64
In _____ _____, No, 10 James Madison referred to "______" as groups of people united.
The Federalist
"factions"
65
_______ ______ nominate candidates for office and try to win elections to gain control of the government.
Political Parties
66
_________ _____ may support candidates who favor their ideas, but they do not nominate candidates for office.
Interest groups
67
Interest groups try to influence government officials to support certain ______.
Policies
68
Another difference between IG'S and PP's is that _______ _____ are concerned with only a few issues or specific problems.
Interest groups
69
You may be part of a ____ _____ ____ - a survey of people scientifically selected to provide opinions about something.
Public Opinion Poll
70
_______ _____ is a way to determine public attitudes or preferences about consumer products, social issues, and political candidates.
Scientific polling
71
The first key to a poll's accuracy is the _____, or group of people who take part in the poll.
Sample
72
Second, for poll results to be accurate, the sample must be chosen at _____ from the sample universe.
random
73
Finally the way _____ are worded or the order in which they are asked can affect a poll's accuracy.
questions
74
A reliable poll states its margin of error, or ______ ____.
Uncertainty level
75
The ______ __ ____ or sampling error, indicates a poll's accuracy, and is given as a percentage above and below the poll's result.
Margin of error
76
Properly conducted polls produce ______, _____, _______, and ____-____ results
reliable, accurate, objective, and bias-free
77
In polling, ______ refers to errors introduced by polling methods that leads to one outcome over others.
bias
78
_______ is freedom from bias and outside factors, such as timing, that may influence results.
Objectivity
79
Another common type of scientific poll is the ___ ____.
exit poll
80
A _____ _____ surveys a randomly selected fraction of voters after they have voted and tells pollsters how people voted before the official vote count.
exit poll
81
Most interest groups are organized on the basis of ______ _____ rather than geographic location.
Common values
82
_______ ________ _______ unite people with common attitudes from every region of the country.
National interest groups
83
Interest groups help bridge the gap between the ______ and the ______.
citizen and the government
84
Citizens communicate their "____"or policy goals to government leaders.
wants
85
Interest group leaders strengthen the political power of the group by _____ its members.
unifying
86
They keep members informed of the activities through ________, ________, and _______ ______.
newsletters, mailing, and telephone calls
87
Reasons people belong in interest groups
1. Help ______ an individual's economic self-interest.
2. Centers on an individual's ______, ______, _______.
1. promote
| 2. beliefs, values or attitude
88
Studies have shown that people on lower socioeconomic levels are ____ likely to join such groups.
less
89
Business interest groups are among the ____ and ____ in the United States.
oldest and largest
90
______ ______ of ______ works to lower individual and corporate taxes and limit government regulation of business.
National Association of Manufactures
91
The U_____ S______ C_______ of C______ tends to speak for smaller businesses.
United States Chamber of Commerce
92
The largest and most powerful labor organization today is __-____.
AFL-CIO
93
The ______ on _______ _______ (COPE) directs the AFL-CIOs political activities.
Committee on Political Education
94
The largest agricultural interest group is the _______ _____ ____ ____.
American Farm Bureau Federation
95
The oldest farm groups is the _____ __ _____, known as the _____.
Patrons of Husbandry, known as the Grange
96
The _____ ___ ____ and the ______ ____ _____ are two examples of interest groups that include members of specific professions.
The American Bar Association and the American Medical Association
97
Professional associations also represent _____, _______, ______, _______, _______ to name a few.
bankers, teachers, college professors, police officers
98
______ interest groups goals range from conserving resources to protecting wildlife to helping farmers and ranchers maintain their land.
environmental
99
Groups concerned about the public interest seek policy goals that they believe will ____ society.
benefit
100
______ - _____ ____ are not concerned with furthering the interests of a narrow groups of people.
Public-interest groups
101
Two powerful organizations today are the ______ _____ of ____ _______ and the NGA.
National Conference of State Legislators
102
_______ and ____ government officials may seek to influence members of Congress or the executive branch because they want a greater share of federal aid.
State and local
103
______-_____ _____ may seek military aid, economic aid, or favorable trade agreement.
Foreign-interest groups
104
All ____ agents must register with the United States government.
foreign
105
Most interest groups try to influence government policy by making direct contact with ________ or other ______ _____.
lawmakers or other government leaders
106
The process of direct contact is called ________.
lobbying
107
Representatives of interest groups who do this are called _______.
lobbyists
108
In 1995 Congress redefined lobbyists to mean anyone who has done the following:
1. Anyone who was ____ or _____ by a client.
2. Made more than ___ contact on behalf of the client.
3. spent more than ____ % of his or her time serving the client.
1. employed
2. one
3. 20%
109
The _________ _______ ___ of 1995 was intended to close loopholes that had enabled most lobbyist to avoid registering with Congress.
Lobbying Disclosure Act
110
Before the new legislation only about _____ of more than __.__k lobbyist we registered.
6000 of more than 13.6k
111
Currently registered lobbyist must file ________ ______ with the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate.
Semiannual reports
112
The reports must disclose the ____ of legislation being addressed, the government _______ and _______ contacted and _____ of the amount of money paid by the client.
disclose the issues of legislation being addressed, the government branches and agencies contacted, and estimate of the amout of money paid by the client
113
Many lobbyist are former _____ ____.
government officials
114
Many other lobbyists are _______ or ______ _____ experts.
lawyers or public relations experts
115
One of a lobbyist's most important methods of persuasion is to provides policymakers with ____ ______ that supports an interest group's position.
useful information
