Public Opinion, Media, and Political Parties: Key Concepts and Structures

Public Opinion

people's attitudes about political issues, events, and people

Values/beliefs

core principles shaping opinions (EX: liberty, equality)

Liberty

personal freedom from government interference

Justice

fairness under the law

Equality of Opportunity

Everyone should have the same chance to succeed.

Political Ideology

set of beliefs about the role of government

Attitude/Opinion

Specific view on a political issue.

Liberal

more government involvement in economy, less on social issues.

Conservative

less economic involvement, more traditional social values.

Libertarian

minimal government in both economic and personal life

Socialist

More government involvement in economy to reduce inequality

Political socialization

process of learning political values/beliefs

Agents of Socialization

the groups that shape your beliefs

Gender Gap

difference in political views between men and women.

Public-opinion polls

Surveys used to gauge public preferences

Sample

A group selected to represent the population

Simple Random sample

Everyone has an equal chance to be selected

Random digit dialing

Phone numbers are randomly generated for surveys

Sampling error (margin of error)

How much results may vary from actual population

Selection bias

Non-representative sample due to flawed selection

Bandwagon effect

People support what seems popular or is winning

Media

the channels of communication used to deliver news

Principled Journalism

Professional standards of accuracy, fairness, and objectivity

Adversarial Journalism

Aggressive, suspicious stance toward government

Citizen journalism

Non-professional reporting news (usually online, think Facebook, Insta, Tiktok)

Opinion-driven journalism

Combines facts with personal opinions

Journalism of Assertion

reports without sufficient fact-checking

Journalism of Affirmation

Confirms a specific political viewpoint

Media Monopolies

when few corporations control most media outlets

Agenda Setting

choosing which stories are covered

Framing

Presenting a story in a certain way to shape perception

Priming

preparing the public view issues as more or less important

Partisan Media

Outlets with a clear political Bias (e.g. Fox News, MSNBC)

Mainstream News organization

Traditional, widely trusted outlets (e.g. New York Times, CNN)

Broadcast Media

TV and radio. Still important but shrinking in influence

News Websites

Fast, digital, formatted like newspapers, often not regulated like traditional media

News Aggregators

Collect headlines/content from multiple sources

Algorithms

Control what users see based on behavior. Great for engagement, terrible for unbiased info

Confirmation Bias

People gravitate toward news that supports their views and increases polarization

Filter Bubbles

Algorithms show you content that aligns with your views, making it harder to see opposing perspectives

Misinformation

False/inaccurate information spread UNINTENTIONALLY

Disinformation

False info spread INTENTIONALLY to deceive

Equal time rule

FCC rule requiring equal air time for political candidates

Right of Rebuttal

People attacked on public broadcasts have the right to respond

Political party

An organization that tries to influence government by getting its members elected to public office.

Why political parties matter

They get people involved in democracy, making it easier to participate; help voters figure out who stands for what; and keep government running smoothly by organizing legislatures and policymaking.

Two-party system

The U.S. model dominated by Democrats and Republicans since the 1780s.

Party heuristics

Mental shortcuts; voters use party labels to decide who to support.

Proportional representation

Seats in the legislature match the percentage of voters each party gets.

Plurality system

Whoever gets the most votes wins (used in the U.S.).

Duverger's law

Plurality systems lead to two-part dominance.

Party machines and patronage

Old-school party systems that rewarded loyal supporters with jobs or favors.

Political polarization

Growing ideological distance and hostility between parties.

Party Identification

Your long-term attachment to a political party, shaped by upbringing, identity, and values.

Sources of Identification

Race, gender, religion, region, and age can all shape which party you feel closer to.

Polarization

U.S. politics have become more divided, as parties are more divided and emotionally charged.

Affective Polarization

Emotional division (dislike or distrust of the other side).

Negative partisanship

Supporting your party mainly because you dislike the other one.

Independents

People not loyal to either majority party.

Party activists

Super involved members who help organize and campaign.

Political parties and elections

Political parties basically run the show when it comes to elections.

National level party functions

Parties host conventions to officially nominate candidates for president/VP.

State level party functions

They manage primaries, which can be open/partisan or nonpartisan (blanket).

Ranked-choice voting (RCV)

Where voters rank their picks instead of choosing just one.

Nomination

Selecting a candidate to represent the party

Primary elections

Elections held to select a party's candidate for the GENERAL election

Caucus (political)

A normally closed political party business meeting of citizens or lawmakers to select candidates, elect officers, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters

Party organization

The formal structure of a political party, including its leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff

National Convention

Meeting convened by the Republican National Committee or the Democratic to nominate official candidates for president and vice president for the upcoming election, establish party rules, and adopting the party platform

Majority party

Holds the most seats in Congress

Minority party

Holds fewer seats

Policy entrepreneur

Someone (often a legislator) who pushes new ideas and builds support for them

Precinct

The smallest party unit; local neighborhoods

Precinct Chair

Runs the precinct, helps organize voters and meetings

County executive committee

Made up of all precinct chairs in that county

County Chair

Leads the county executive committee

State and Vice chair

Lead the STATE party organization

State Executive Committee

Includes the state chair, vice chair, and representatives from each district

Party platform

The official stance on issues

Party Polarization

Increasing ideological division

First Past the Post

Whoever gets the most votes wins, even without a majority

Single-member districts

Each district elects ONE rep, which encourages TWO PARTY SYSTEM

Tea Party Movement

Conservative faction that reshaped the Texas GOP in the 2010's

Shivercrat Movement

Democrats supporting republican candidates

Presidential republicanism

Voting GOP nationally, Democrat locally

Blue Dog Democrats

Conservative Democrats in the South

Partisan polarization

Deep division between parties

Conventions

Meetings to nominate candidates and shape the party platform