ps exam 2 - public opinion

what is public opinion?

the distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues

what are demographics?

characteristics of the population used to generalize about public opinion

what is reapportionment?

reallocating seats in the house of rep. every ten years based on census results

how often is the census conducted?

every 10 years

house of rep. seats either gain or lose seats per state based on what?

that state’s increase or decrease in population

what is political socialization?

how an individual acquires their political orientation

what socializes us into politics?

family, school, media

why might americans be suspicious of polls?

they don’t know the difference between well or poorly executed polls

what effect does americans’ distrust in polls have on lawmaking?

officials are less willing to rely on polls in policymaking

is national polling accurate?

yes

if you win the popular vote, do you also win the electoral college?

no

what were 3 main causes for the errors in polling for the 2016 election?

systematic errors, sampling errors, “shy” trump voters

poor data leads to…

inaccurate conclusions

how do the mass media influence our views?

through political news, entertainment television, and commercials

we become more involved in politics when…

we get older

why are older americans more involved in politics?

they are more likely to follow the news and are more involved in their communities

media ____________ more than it educates

entertains

how does the policymaking process begin?

with public concern about an issue

how are polls conducted?

sample, random sampling, but with sampling error

what is sampling error?

the level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll

what do polls help politicians do?

figure out public preferences

what are problems with polls?

question wording and ordering

what are exit polls?

polls of people as they leave the voting booth

why are exit polls the most criticized?

they help networks call the race before all votes have been called, leading to races being called too early

what is the east v. west criticism?

east and west coast polls close at different times

what do americans know about politics?

their basic beliefs, but not how it affects policies of the govt.

what is the trend of collective public opinion?

stable; may trend but predictable

what’s wrong with uninformed voters?

more vulnerable to manipulation, and may advocate for that which contradicts their beliefs

what is political ideology?

a coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose

what is political participation?

all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or policies

what are examples of political participation?

voting, working in campaigns, running for office, protesting, civil disobedience

what is civil disobedience?

a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences

why don’t people vote?

not interested in politics, one vote doesn’t change anything, no real difference between candidates

what happens when the elderly vote and the young don’t?

the elderly get their policies adopted and the young’s preferences may be ignored

environmental policy pits _____________ against private concerns

public good

salient

important

is environmental policy often on the agenda?

no, it is rarely on the agenda

change in environmental policy is…

slow and ardous

what fluctuates as economic conditions change?

climate change

what is the most salient issue in american politics?

the economy