Public Opinion & Political Socialization – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing essential terms from the lecture on public opinion, polling, and political socialization.

Agents of socialization

People or institutions (family, school, media, etc.) that shape an individual’s political views as they grow up.

Cultural (social) conservatives

Individuals who believe government should actively support traditional social values, such as religion or conventional family roles.

Cultural (social) liberals

Individuals who believe government should not promote traditional values and should accept diverse or non-traditional lifestyles.

Delegate

A representative who votes exactly as the constituents prefer, even if the representative personally disagrees.

Direction (of an opinion)

Indicates whether people support (+) or oppose (–) a particular issue, policy, or candidate.

Economic conservatives

Individuals who think government should stay out of the economy and let markets and private actors handle economic matters.

Economic liberals

Individuals who think government should intervene to assist those facing financial hardship and reduce economic inequality.

Framing

Presenting an issue in a particular way to influence how people perceive and think about it (emphasizing positives, negatives, etc.).

Identity politics

Political behavior in which people align and act based on shared identity traits (race, gender, religion, etc.).

Ideology

A coherent set of beliefs about what government should or should not do.

Intensity

The strength or firmness with which an individual holds a particular opinion.

Party identification

The psychological attachment or sense of belonging a person feels toward a political party (e.g., Democrat, Republican).

Political socialization

The lifelong process through which individuals acquire their political attitudes and values.

Population (in polling)

The entire group whose opinions a poll seeks to measure (e.g., all U.S. registered voters).

Public opinion

The collective attitudes and expressed views of ordinary citizens on politics and government.

Public opinion poll

A survey of a sample intended to estimate the views of a broader population.

Salience

The relative importance an individual assigns to a particular issue compared with other issues.

Sample (in polling)

The subset of the population actually surveyed, intended to represent the whole.

Sampling error

The margin of inaccuracy that indicates how much poll results may differ from the true population opinion, usually expressed as ±%.

Trustee

A representative who makes decisions based on personal judgment of what is best for constituents, even if it conflicts with their immediate wishes.