Chapter 4 Public Opinion and the media

Public opinion

The attitude citizens have about public policies

Political socialization

The process by which individuals develop their political opinions; influenced by family

Political efficacy

The belief that a person can make a difference by engaging in the political process; often developed through higher education.

Gender gap

The phenomenon in which men and women hold different political opinions

Political ideology

A framework or system of belief that shapes how citizens think about the world

Conservatism

A political ideology favoring limited government intervention in the economy

Liberalism

A political ideology supporting social justice

Heuristics (informational shortcuts)

A process by which individuals take informational cues from family

Scientific polling

The practice of securing a representative sample in a poll that accurately represents and predicts public opinion and election outcomes.

Margin of error

The statistical range within which a poll result might vary from the true population value; critical for correctly interpreting poll data.

Population (in polling)

The entire group of people a pollster is trying to learn about.

Sample (in polling)

The subset of people actually surveyed in a poll; must be representative of the population for the poll to be accurate.

Policy congruence

When the opinions of constituents and policy makers are in alignment.

Issue saliency

The degree to which some people care more intensely about certain issues than others; presents a challenge for politicians seeking to satisfy a majority.

Agenda-setting

The media's power to designate certain stories as newsworthy

Framing

The process of presenting information in a way that shapes the audience's understanding of it; the same issue can be framed with different slants or spins.

Media consolidation

The trend of large corporations owning an increasing number of media outlets; accelerated after the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Federal legislation that permitted corporations to amass large numbers of local newspapers and news stations

Media fragmentation

The proliferation of media outlets resulting in more specialized

Mainstream media

A mix of broadcast and print news agencies that traditionally dominated news dissemination (e.g.

Partisan media

Media outlets that adopt a clearly liberal or conservative ideological perspective rather than striving for objectivity.

News desert

A community that lacks adequate local news coverage

Algorithms

Programs that analyze users' liking

Misinformation

Incorrect or misleading information; not necessarily spread with intent to deceive.

Disinformation

Information deliberately designed to deceive the public.

Deepfakes

AI-altered video or digital recordings that make it appear a person said or did something they actually did not; can negatively impact elections and governance.

News journalism

Reporting of events that strives to be accurate and objective by using original sources

Investigative journalism

In-depth research and analysis to understand an issue of public interest; often exposes wrongdoings by individuals or organizations (watchdog role).

Opinion journalism

Subjective journalism that includes personal commentary and judgments about individuals

Citizen journalism

Reporting and commentary by ordinary

Texas Tribune

A nonprofit

PolitiFact Texas

A fact-checking organization partnered with outlets like the Dallas Morning News that independently verifies the accuracy of news and political claims.

What are the three roles of the media in democracy?

(1) Inform the public of current events; (2) provide a forum for public debate; (3) act as a watchdog over government leaders.

35 What does the First Amendment protect regarding the press? Freedom of the press — the government cannot restrict the media's ability to report and publish information.

What does the Texas Constitution (Article I Section 8) say about free press?

Every person shall be at liberty to speak

What did Daniel Hopkins find about Americans and political knowledge?

Americans today are more engaged with national politics than state/local politics; the gap has grown because more people tune into national media rather than local media.

How does family influence political socialization

Parents or guardians are usually the first source of political socialization; children often (though not always) develop similar political interests and views.

How does religion influence political socialization in Texas?

Texas is highly religious; east Texas is dominated by evangelical Protestants and there is a large Catholic population especially in the growing Latino community — both shape political views.

What is the profit motive's effect on Texas media?

Most Texas media are privately owned for-profit businesses

What are the major types of TV news in the U.S.?

Network/national news (ABC

How many television media markets does Texas have?

Texas has 20 television media markets; 8 rank in the Top 100 nationwide

What is ethnic media?

News outlets aimed at racial and ethnic communities that cover a range of nationalities

What percentage of Texans get news from podcasts vs. talk radio?

15% of Texans receive news from podcasts; 18% from talk radio. Podcast listeners skew younger; about a quarter of talk-radio listeners are 65 and older.

What is the key difference between social media and traditional media in content delivery?

Social media algorithms tailor content to each individual user based on their behavior (likes

What survey finding highlights public concern about media bias?

A Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found 83% of Americans see 'a great deal' or 'a fair amount' of political bias in news coverage