Public Opinion Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover key concepts related to public opinion, its importance in democracy, and the methodologies for measuring it.

Public Opinion

The sum of individual attitudes about an issue or question.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that government is responsive and accountable to the people.

Scientific Polling

Use of samples to measure opinions of a larger population, introduced in the mid-1930s.

Direction of Opinion

Whether opinion on an issue is positive or negative.

Stability of Opinion

Likelihood of changes in the direction of opinion.

Intensity of Opinion

How strongly people hold attitudes and beliefs.

Salience

How important an issue is to the public.

Random Sample

A sampling method where every person has an equal chance of being selected.

Margin of Error

The range within which the true value in the population is expected to fall, based on a sample.

Political Culture

Consensus on fundamental beliefs about political values, legitimacy of institutions, and policy-making processes.

Political Socialization

The lifelong process through which younger generations learn political values from their predecessors.

Agents of Socialization

Factors that influence how individuals develop their political values, such as family, schools, and peers.