6 The Politics of Public Opinion

Agent of political socialization

A person or entity that teaches and influences others about politics through use of information.

Bandwagon effect

Increased media coverage of candidates who poll high.

Bradley effect

The difference between a poll result and an election result in which voters gave a socially desirable poll response rather than a true response that might be perceived as racist.

Classical liberalism

A political ideology based on belief in individual liberties and rights and the idea of free will, with little role for government.

Communism

A political and economic system in which, in theory, government promotes common ownership of all property, means of production, and materials to prevent the exploitation of workers while creating an equal society; in practice, most communist governments have used force to maintain control.

Covert content

Ideologically slanted information presented as unbiased information in order to influence public opinion.

Diffuse support

The widespread belief that a country and its legal system are legitimate.

Exit poll

An election poll taken by interviewing voters as they leave a polling place.

Fascism

A political system of total control by the ruling party or political leader over the economy, the military, society, and culture and often the private lives of citizens.

Favorability poll

A public opinion poll that measures a public’s positive feelings about a candidate or politician.

Heuristics

Shortcuts or generalizations for decision making.

Horserace coverage

Day-to-day media coverage of candidate performance in the election.

Leading question

A question worded to lead a respondent to give a desired answer.

Margin of error

A number that states how far the poll results may be from the actual preferences of the total population of citizens.

Modern conservatism

A political ideology that prioritizes individual liberties, preferring a smaller government that stays out of the economy.

Modern liberalism

A political ideology focused on equality and supporting government intervention in society and the economy if it promotes equality.

Overt content

Political information whose author makes clear that only one side is presented.

Political culture

The prevailing political attitudes and beliefs within a society or region.

Political elite

A political opinion leader who alerts the public to changes or problems.

Political socialization

The process of learning the norms and practices of a political system through others and societal institutions.

Public opinion

A collection of opinions of an individual or a group of individuals on a topic, person, or event.

Push poll

Politically biased campaign information presented as a poll in order to change minds.

Random sample

A limited number of people from the overall population selected in such a way that each has an equal chance of being chosen.

Representative sample

A group of respondents demographically similar to the population of interest.

Socialism

A political and economic system in which government uses its authority to promote social and economic equality, providing everyone with basic services and equal opportunities and requiring citizens with more wealth to contribute more.

Straw poll

An informal and unofficial election poll conducted with a non-random population.

Theory of delegate representation

A theory that assumes the politician is in office to be the voice of the people and to vote only as the people want.

Traditional conservatism

A political ideology supporting the authority of the monarchy and the church in the belief that government provides the rule of law.