1
Kenny POLI 2051 exam 2 UPDATED Questions and
CORRECT Answers
•
public opinion - (answer)the collected attitudes of citizens on a given issue or
question
why is public opinion important? - (answer)In a democracy, there must be a
link between what the public thinks and what the government does -- the
nature of this link can vary greatly
who is most interested in public opinion? - (answer)elected officials: public
opinion may influence government decision making
academics: seek to understand why people behave the way that they do
the people: may be motivated to become active in politics
Is the public capable of governing? How would you know? - (answer)Surveys
show that people:
○ Are not very interested in politics
○ Are ignorant of much that goes on politically
○ Rely heavily on cues/shortcuts rather than informed issue positions
■ Endorsements, political polls, trusted individuals
political socialization - (answer)a complex process through which individuals
become aware of politics , learn political facts, and form political values.
(develop a party attachment, nature vs. nurture)
we learn these things and they occur throughout our lives (socialization) -
(answer)generational effects, life cycle effects, period effects
, 2
generational effects - (answer)specific age group uniquely affected by set of
historical events (ex. vietnam and great depression)
life cycle effects - (answer)political views are influenced by maturation (ex.
young people are less politically engaged)
period effects - (answer)historical events affect everyone (ex. 9/11)
agents of socialization - (answer)family, community and peers, school, mass
media
family - (answer)*strongest influence on individuals
-you learn partisan identification from your parents
-you can't ask people directly what their party is, but you can ask them what
party their parents are (strongest predictor)
community and peers - (answer)have a powerful influence, even into
adulthood
- the idea of peer pressure -- we live in certain neighborhoods, churches,
groups
school - (answer)teaches you importance of voting, civic education, being a
good citizen, patriotism, authority figures; teaches you respect for existing
social orders
- doesn't always teach you the same things family does
mass media - (answer)can have an influence due to opinions that are found in
pop culture/ music
, 3
our behavior may be based on our _______. - (answer)biology
how do we know what public opinion is? - (answer)we have to guess, but now
we do polls
the statistical theory of sampling - (answer)a sample of individuals selected by
chance from any population is representative of that population
what determines the accuracy of a poll? - (answer)the way the sample is
selected, the size of the sample, the way the survey is put together
question wording - (answer)○ Survey responses on "welfare" vs. "assisting the
poor"
○ Leading questions → respondents are led to select on a particular position;
other responses are set-up to seem undesirable or wrong
○ Social desirability
○ Question clarity
○ Double-barreled question
○ Question require knowledge the person doesn't have
question ordering - (answer)survey responses on question about whether
reporters should be able to report the news from other countries as they see fit
push polls - (answer)not actually polls; poses as a survey designed to implant
negative information about an opponent in voters' minds
Kenny POLI 2051 exam 2 UPDATED Questions and
CORRECT Answers
•
public opinion - (answer)the collected attitudes of citizens on a given issue or
question
why is public opinion important? - (answer)In a democracy, there must be a
link between what the public thinks and what the government does -- the
nature of this link can vary greatly
who is most interested in public opinion? - (answer)elected officials: public
opinion may influence government decision making
academics: seek to understand why people behave the way that they do
the people: may be motivated to become active in politics
Is the public capable of governing? How would you know? - (answer)Surveys
show that people:
○ Are not very interested in politics
○ Are ignorant of much that goes on politically
○ Rely heavily on cues/shortcuts rather than informed issue positions
■ Endorsements, political polls, trusted individuals
political socialization - (answer)a complex process through which individuals
become aware of politics , learn political facts, and form political values.
(develop a party attachment, nature vs. nurture)
we learn these things and they occur throughout our lives (socialization) -
(answer)generational effects, life cycle effects, period effects
, 2
generational effects - (answer)specific age group uniquely affected by set of
historical events (ex. vietnam and great depression)
life cycle effects - (answer)political views are influenced by maturation (ex.
young people are less politically engaged)
period effects - (answer)historical events affect everyone (ex. 9/11)
agents of socialization - (answer)family, community and peers, school, mass
media
family - (answer)*strongest influence on individuals
-you learn partisan identification from your parents
-you can't ask people directly what their party is, but you can ask them what
party their parents are (strongest predictor)
community and peers - (answer)have a powerful influence, even into
adulthood
- the idea of peer pressure -- we live in certain neighborhoods, churches,
groups
school - (answer)teaches you importance of voting, civic education, being a
good citizen, patriotism, authority figures; teaches you respect for existing
social orders
- doesn't always teach you the same things family does
mass media - (answer)can have an influence due to opinions that are found in
pop culture/ music
, 3
our behavior may be based on our _______. - (answer)biology
how do we know what public opinion is? - (answer)we have to guess, but now
we do polls
the statistical theory of sampling - (answer)a sample of individuals selected by
chance from any population is representative of that population
what determines the accuracy of a poll? - (answer)the way the sample is
selected, the size of the sample, the way the survey is put together
question wording - (answer)○ Survey responses on "welfare" vs. "assisting the
poor"
○ Leading questions → respondents are led to select on a particular position;
other responses are set-up to seem undesirable or wrong
○ Social desirability
○ Question clarity
○ Double-barreled question
○ Question require knowledge the person doesn't have
question ordering - (answer)survey responses on question about whether
reporters should be able to report the news from other countries as they see fit
push polls - (answer)not actually polls; poses as a survey designed to implant
negative information about an opponent in voters' minds
