Study Guide Opinions

What did V.O. Key say about public opinion and the holy ghost?

To speak with precision of public opinion is a task not unlike coming to grips with the Holy Ghost.

What are two definitions of public opinion?

1. The sum of individual opinions; 2) The collective preferences on matters related to government and politics.

What are the three main challenges in studying public opinion?

1. Defining public opinion; 2) Measuring public opinion; 3) Determining how/if public opinion impacts policy.

Define political attitudes and their components.

Consistent beliefs, values, and feelings about political issues, policies, and institutions. Components include cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects.

Differentiate between strong, weak, and constructed attitudes.

Strong attitudes are stable and influential; weak attitudes are less stable; constructed attitudes are formed on the spot when asked.

How does attitude strength vary over time? Provide a presidential example.

Attitude strength can change over time. Example: Attitudes towards a president may strengthen or weaken based on their performance or events during their term.

What are some methods for measuring political attitudes?

Surveys, polls, interviews, focus groups, and experimental methods.

Why doesn't opinion perfectly reflect the underlying attitude?

Measurement error, social desirability bias, question wording effects, context effects, and the complexity of attitudes.

What was the Literary Digest Fiasco of 1936?

The magazine incorrectly predicted Alf Landon would beat Franklin D. Roosevelt due to a biased sample, despite a large sample size.

What is non-ignorable non-response in polling?

When people who don't respond to a survey differ systematically from those who do, potentially biasing results.

What is the margin of error in polling?

The range within which the true population value is likely to fall, given the sample estimate.

How does sample size affect margin of error?

Larger sample sizes generally lead to smaller margins of error, but with diminishing returns.

Name three types of survey methods and their characteristics.

1. Face-to-face: in-person interviews; 2) RDD (Random Digit Dialing): telephone surveys; 3) Scientific online surveys: web-based, probability sampling.

What makes a survey 'gold standard' and give examples.

High-quality probability sampling, careful question design, high response rates. Examples: American National Election Studies (ANES), General Social Survey (GSS).

Define political knowledge and its components.

Correct information about politics. Components may include civic knowledge, current events, political processes, and government structures.

What is the debate between 'faulty people' and 'faulty respondents'?

Whether low knowledge scores reflect true ignorance (faulty people) or measurement issues (faulty respondents).

Define political misinformation, including the confidence aspect.

Holding incorrect political information with confidence.

How does motivated reasoning relate to misinformation?

People tend to seek out, believe, and remember information that confirms their existing beliefs, potentially reinforcing misinformation.