Ch. 10- Public Opinion

public opinion

the collective attitudes and beliefs of individuals on one or more issues

public opinion polls

scientific efforts to estimate what an entire group thinks about an issue by asking a smaller sample of the group for its opinion

political socialization

the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions

influences of political socialization

race, gender, stage of life, ideology, education, economics, religion, geography

Sample

A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole.

sample bias

the effect of having a sample that does not represent all segments of the population

sampling error

a number that indicates within what range the results of a poll are accurate (+3/-3)

random sample

a sample in which every element in the population has an equal chance of being selected

Why does polling matter?

because America is a democracy so popular sovereignty matters

greatest influence on socialization

family

How big does a sample need to be?

1000-1500

best way to poll

in person

worst way to poll

internet

Polling Bias

wording poll questions to produce a desired answer

turnout rate in U.S. elections

lower than other industrialized nations (60%)