POLI 210 final

public opinion is…

the rationale behind democratic government

public opinion

Citizens’ attitudes about political issues, personalities, institutions, and events

intensity

how much individuals want a certain outcome or care about a given issue

foundations of preferences

self interests, values, social groups

socialization

A process in which individuals take on their communities’ perspectives and preferences through social interactions

agenda-setting effect

The power of the media to focus public attention on particular issues

priming

The use of media coverage to make the public take a particular view of an event or a public figure

framing

The influence of the media over how events and issues are interpreted

adverse selection

The problem of incomplete information—of choosing alternatives without fully knowing the details of available options

moral hazard

The problem of not knowing all aspects of the actions taken by an agent (nominally on behalf of the principal but potentially at the principal’s expense)

australian ballot

An electoral format that presents the names of all the candidates for any given office on the same ballot

plurality rule

A type of electoral system in which victory goes to the individual who gets the most votes, but not necessarily a majority of the votes cast

Duverger’s law

Law of politics, formalized by Maurice Duverger, stating that plurality-rule electoral systems will tend to have two political parties

party identification

An individual’s attachment to a particular political party, which may be based on issues, ideology, past experience, upbringing, or a mixture of these elements

spatial issues

An issue for which a range of possible options or policies can be ordered, say, from liberal to conservative or from most expensive to least expensive

valence issue

An issue or aspect of a choice for which all voters prefer a higher value, in contrast to a spatial issue—for example, voters prefer their politicians to be honest, and honesty is a valence issue

construct validity

whether a measurement actually measures the theoretical concept it is intended to capture

pluralism

The theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government

selective benefit

Benefits that do not go to everyone but, rather, are distributed selectively—to only those who contribute to the group enterprise

sampling error

when the sample in a poll does not represent the characteristics of a population

coverage error

poll error where there is an inability to contact part of the population

political identities

distinctive characteristics or group associations that individuals carry, reflecting their social connections or common values and interests with others in that group

variables affecting the cost of voting

same day registration not allowed for all elections

same day registration not located at poll locations

felons not allowed to register

mental competency required