AP Government- Public Opinion and Actions with Linkage Institutions

Public Opinion

The distribution of the populations beliefs about politics and policy issues

Demography

The science of population changes

Census

An “actual enumeration” of the population, which the constitution requires that the government conduct every 10 years

Political Socialization

The process by which individuals acquire political beliefs and attitudes

Sample

Relatively small proportion of people who are chosen as representatives as a whole

Representative Sample

accurately predict the whole based on only a sample the sample must be representative

Sample Error

difference between a sample’s result and the true result if the entire population has been interviewed

Exit Poll

a poll of people leaving a polling place, asking how they voted

Political culture

A set of attitudes and ideas about the nation and government