Chapter 6 Reading guide (Public Opinion)

Vocabulary flashcards defining key terms related to public opinion, political socialization, polling methods, biases, and media coverage based on the lecture notes.

Public Opinion

The collective views and attitudes of a population about political issues, policies, or government settings.

Individual Opinion

The personal belief or view of one person.

Beliefs

Ideas people hold about what is true or important.

Attitudes

People's feelings or opinions toward political issues, people, or events.

Political Socialization

The process through which people develop their political beliefs and attitudes, beginning in childhood and continuing throughout life.

Agent of Socialization

A person, group, or institution that influences and shapes political beliefs and attitudes, such as family, schools, peers, media, religion, and major life experiences.

Ideology Spectrum

A range showing different political beliefs, typically from liberal to conservative, with moderate views in between.

Straw Polls

Informal, nonbinding polls used to measure people's opinions or support for candidates or issues, often conducted before or during elections at political events.

Random Sample

A group of people selected so that each member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen, helping reduce bias and make polling results representative.

Margin of Error

The amount a poll's results may differ from the actual population's views due to sampling; generally $3\text{--}5\%$ is considered reasonable for many political polls.

Random Digit Dialing (RDD)

A method of selecting phone numbers randomly to reach a representative sample of people for surveys.

Framing

How a question is worded or presented, which can influence how people respond.

Leading Questions

Questions worded in a way that pushes respondents toward a particular answer, creating biased or inaccurate results.

Bradley Effect

A phenomenon where voters tell pollsters they support a candidate but ultimately vote differently, named after Tom Bradley and associated with the 1982 California governor's race.

Push Poll

A survey designed mainly to influence voters' opinions rather than accurately measure public opinion by asking biased or leading questions.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts people use to quickly make decisions, such as using a candidate's political party, endorsements, past experiences, or reputation.

Horse Race Coverage

Media coverage that focuses on which candidate is ahead or behind in polls rather than their policies.