Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Socialization

Agents of Socialization

agents, such as the family and the media, that have significant impact on citizens’ political socialization

cultural (social) conservatives

those who believe government power should be used to uphold traditional values

cultural (social) liberals

those who believe it is not government’s role to buttress traditional values at the expense of unconventional or new values

delegate

an elected representative whose obligation is to act in accordance with the expressed wishes of the people he or she represents

direction

an opinion dimension; whether people have a pro or con opinion on an issue

economic conservatives

those who believe government tries to do too many things that should be left to private interests and economic markets

economic liberals

those who believe government should do more to assist people who have difficulty meeting their economic needs on their own

identity politics

the situation where people base their concerns on a group identity (such as race or religion) and align themselves with those who share that identity to the exclusion of other groups

ideology

a general belief about the role and purpose of government

intensity

an opinion dimension; how strongly people feel about an issue

party identification

the personal sense of loyalty that an individual may feel toward a particular political party

political socialization

the learning process by which people acquire their political opinions, beliefs, and values

population

in a public opinion poll, the people (for example, the citizens of a nation) whose opinions are being estimated through interviews with a sample of these people

public opinion

the politically relevant opinions held by ordinary citizens that they express openly

public opinion poll

a device for measuring public opinion whereby a relatively small number of individuals (the sample) are interviewed for the purpose of estimating the opinions of a whole community (the population)

salience

an opinion dimension; how highly people rank an issue relative to other issues

sample

in a public opinion poll, the relatively small number of individuals who are interviewed for the purpose of estimating the opinions of an entire population

sampling error

a measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll, mainly a function of sample size and usually expressed in percentage terms

trustee

an elected representative whose obligation is to act in accordance with his or her own conscience as to what policies are in the best interests of the public