American Government and Politics Today Chapter 6

Public Opinion

The aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs shared by some portion of the adult population

Consensus

General agreement among the citizenry on an issue

Divided Opinion

Public opinion that is polarized between two quite different positions

Political Socialization

The process by which people acquire political beliefs and values

Peer Group

A group whose members share common social characteristics. These groups play an important part in the socialization process, helping to shape attitudes and beliefs

Opinion Leader

One who is able to influence the opinions of others because of position, expertise, or personality

Media

The channels of mass communication

Agenda Setting

Determining which public- policy questions will be debated or considered

Fairness Doctrine

A federal communications commission rule enforced between 1949 and 1987 that required radio and television to present controversial issues in a manner that was (in the commission's view) honest, equitable, and balanced

Generational Effect

The long-lasting effect of the events of a particular time on the political opinions of those who came of political age at that time

Socioeconomic Status

The value assigned to a person due to occupation or income. An upper-class person, for example, has high socioeconomic status

Gender Gap

The difference between the percentage of women who vote for a particular candidate and the percentage of men who vote for the candidate

Opinion Poll

A method of systematically questioning a small, selected sample of respondents who are deemed representative of the total population

Sampling Error

The difference between a sample's results and the true result if the entire population had been interviewed

House Effect

In public opinion polling, an effect in which one polling organization's results consistently differ from those reported by other poll takers

Political Trust

the degree to which individuals express trust in the government and political institutions, usually measured through a specific series or survey questions

Framing

Establishing the context of a polling question or a media report. Framing can mean fitting events into a familiar story or activating preconceived beliefs.