Introduction to Public Opinion

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the introduction to public opinion and its measurement in political science.

Public Opinion

The opinions expressed by members of the public, particularly regarding political issues that they are willing to share.

Private Opinion

Opinions about politics that individuals hold but do not express publicly.

Variation

The concept that public opinion can change over time, with some issues exhibiting high variability and others remaining stable.

Intensity

The strength of an individual's opinion on a specific issue, which can affect their voting behavior.

Relevance

The significance of an issue to an individual, which influences the depth of their opinion on that issue.

Latency

The phenomenon where established opinions affect an individual's responses to new, related issues or questions.

Political Knowledge

The factual understanding of government processes and operations, which influences the formation of opinions.

Random Sample

A sampling method in which every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected for a survey.

Margin of Error

A statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in a survey's results.

Shallow Opinion

Opinions held by individuals with limited political knowledge, resulting in surface-level understanding.

Deep Opinion

Nuanced opinions formed by individuals with high levels of political knowledge.