Part 2: Exam 2 for American Gov

public opinion

a collection of popular views about something

→polling companies gather individual opinions to be analyzed and interpreted for politicians/ the media

→be used to examine how the public feels/think

How are opinions formed?

by beliefs and by attitudes

Beliefs

closely hold ideas that support our values and expectations about life and politics

attitudes

affected by our personal beliefs; represent the preferences we form based on life experiences and values

the scientific process of polling

1)Identify a desired group

2)Build a sample that is both random & representative

3)determine the sample size: larger sample makes a poll more accurate

4)know the margin of error: states how far the poll results may be from the actual opinion

administrating polls

-most polling now takes place over the phone or via the internet

→ computer assisted telephone interviewing

→phone numbers randomly selected

→robo-calls: entirely computerized

exit polls

conducted at polling locations to ask voters how they voted

→provides more accurate results: voters cannot change their mind

focus group

-random respondents observe/discuss topics and are surveyed

restrictions to face-to- face methods

-are considered expensive and time consuming

technology

-respondents more honest if polls are computerized

-errors introduced if respondents does not enter information correctly

-lower response rates

-difficult to achieve representative sample

social pressures

-pressure to answer in accordance with norms of area or peers

→bradley effect: voters are afraid to admit who/what, they would vote for

lack of knowledge

-respondents may not know how much about the topic but are willing to admit it

-some polls include questions to determine how much respondents know about the topic

push polls

-administrative in a way that guarantees a particular outcome (framing/lending questions)

-can be used as campaign devices to try and change a voters mind

government responsiveness to public opinion

-government policy and public opinions correlate about 2/3rds of the time

→ public opinion usually changes first then the policy

→often states lead “Laboratories of democracy”

role of elections

given the representative democracy in the US, the citizens have a role in chosing their elected officials

campaigns

purpose of a campaign & an election is to decide between candidates for office or policy

3 campaign factors

-the frames warned of long political careers, two-party dominance & polarization

-elections today are influence heavily by

→primaries

→gerrymandering

→finance law & campaigning tactics

primary voters

→tend to be strong partisans

→are also “winner takes all”

→tend to be most contested races (argued over) now

the mandate

-couple the primary turnout with gerrymandering, congressional members feel they have a mandate

→authority to act on specific policies, regarded as given by the electorate to a candidate or party that is victorious in an election

-do not need to “work across the aisle” to pass policy

redistricting

drawing new district lines after, reapportionment

reapportionment

following census, the redistribution of the 435 Hose Seats based on new population estimates

gerrymandering

drawing district lines to increase chances of a party or candidate to win

campaign finance

-federal election comission