POLS 1101 Exam 3 |120 Questions and
Answers
Understand and discuss the concept of public opinion
(how it is multi-dimensional and how people weight different dimensions differently based
on their own values - -views commonly held by the general public that the government
sees as prudent to listen to
*Public opinion formula: =S(DiWi)
D= attitude dimension (Usually partisanship associated with issue/candidate/party)
W=weight of that attitude dimension. (How important a person weighs a specific issue)
-What factors influence public opinion? (How does partisanship cloud one's ability to
process political information logically?) - -Things that affect public opinion:
-political socialization
-limited political education
-how views are shaped by the government/IGs/media.
We know that participating in politics is usually an emotional experience, not an entirely
rational one, which clouds one's ability to think logically
-Know how political values are shaped - -Agents of Socialization:
Primary: Family
Secondary: Peers, Teachers, Church groups even politicians
-How does group identity influence a persons's political opinions? - -Attitudes introduce
bias into perceptions of political information because people tend to pay more attention
and give more credence to sources and information that confirm rather than challenge
their beliefs.
-Discuss how the public influences and why the government would/should listen to public
opinion - -Public opinion influences the government because when there is a hot topic
issue the public wants to have recognized and dealt with politicians pay attention to what
the public wants.
**person in power listens to public opinion because they want to get reelected.
-How is public opinion measured? When can polls be trusted? - -Public opinion can be
measured through polls, surveys and different censuses.
Polls can be trusted when:
, -questions have no bias
- a large and random (everyone has non 0 chance of being selected) sample size
-Discuss the concept of sampling. What is random sampling? Why does random sampling
produce representative samples? - -Sampling: when researchers derive information from a
random group within a population to get a representative idea of what a population
believes.
** RANDOM sampling is the gathering of information from a sample within a population
where each person has the SAME OPPORTUNITY OF BEING SELECTED (non-zero
probability of being selected) --> Gets rid of potential bias
-Public Opinion - -"Those opinions held by private persons which governments find it
prudent to heed."
-Political Attitude - -Opinions on specific political issues
-Gender Gap - -Difference in political views between men and women
-Straw Poll - -UNSCIENTIFIC survey used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues
and policies
-Party Identification - -a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other
(Republican, Democrat, Independent, ETC)
-Political Ideology - -a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies
government ought to pursue
-Random Sampling - -Ensures each member of the population has an equal chance of being
selected; helps represent all groups of people
-Sample - -Group of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the
whole.
-Honeymoon Period - -the time following an election when a president's popularity is high
and congressional relations are likely to be productive
-Margin of Error - -a measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll
-Political Socialization - -the transmission of political values through socialization and
environment
-Rally-Around-the-Flag Effect - -a spike in presidential popularity during international
crises
, -Issue Publics - -groups of citizens who more attentive to particular areas of public policy
than average citizens because such groups have some special stake in the issues
-Cognitive Shortcut - -A mental device allowing citizens to make complex decisions based
on a small amount of information.
-Attitudes - -An organized and consistent manner of thinking and feeling about something
-Framing - -Providing a context that allows citizens to evaluate candidates, campaigns, and
political issues
-What is a lobbyist and what is lobbying? - -Lobbyist- professionals who work to influence
public policy in favor of their clients' interest.
Lobbying- when interest groups seek to persuade government officials to support their
groups position.
-What are the primary differences between political parties and interest groups? Explain
the free rider problem interest groups face - -Political parties- put up candidates for
election
Interest groups- push for their policies to be put into law by lobbying courts, legislatures,
and the executive.
The free rider problem--> people can get the benefits of a group's work without actually
joining because these benefits are collective.
Overcoming Free rider problem -->A group must provide selective incentives
-What kinds of incentives to interest groups provide supporters, and
prospective supports, for their contribution to the group or participation in its efforts? - -
Interest groups provide:
- Purposive: supporting that interest group because you want to/pleasure of showing
support.
-Material: have monetary value such as money, gifts, services, or discounts bc they're a
member.
-Solidarity: social rewards and companionship; a sense of belonging, and the pleasure of
associating with others , for example attending a gala or social event
-What sorts of benefits do politicians receive from lobbyists? If these groups are so
beneficial, why does the public view them with such suspicion? - -Politicians benefit by:
- gaining huge following from a group that supports his/her ideals.
Answers
Understand and discuss the concept of public opinion
(how it is multi-dimensional and how people weight different dimensions differently based
on their own values - -views commonly held by the general public that the government
sees as prudent to listen to
*Public opinion formula: =S(DiWi)
D= attitude dimension (Usually partisanship associated with issue/candidate/party)
W=weight of that attitude dimension. (How important a person weighs a specific issue)
-What factors influence public opinion? (How does partisanship cloud one's ability to
process political information logically?) - -Things that affect public opinion:
-political socialization
-limited political education
-how views are shaped by the government/IGs/media.
We know that participating in politics is usually an emotional experience, not an entirely
rational one, which clouds one's ability to think logically
-Know how political values are shaped - -Agents of Socialization:
Primary: Family
Secondary: Peers, Teachers, Church groups even politicians
-How does group identity influence a persons's political opinions? - -Attitudes introduce
bias into perceptions of political information because people tend to pay more attention
and give more credence to sources and information that confirm rather than challenge
their beliefs.
-Discuss how the public influences and why the government would/should listen to public
opinion - -Public opinion influences the government because when there is a hot topic
issue the public wants to have recognized and dealt with politicians pay attention to what
the public wants.
**person in power listens to public opinion because they want to get reelected.
-How is public opinion measured? When can polls be trusted? - -Public opinion can be
measured through polls, surveys and different censuses.
Polls can be trusted when:
, -questions have no bias
- a large and random (everyone has non 0 chance of being selected) sample size
-Discuss the concept of sampling. What is random sampling? Why does random sampling
produce representative samples? - -Sampling: when researchers derive information from a
random group within a population to get a representative idea of what a population
believes.
** RANDOM sampling is the gathering of information from a sample within a population
where each person has the SAME OPPORTUNITY OF BEING SELECTED (non-zero
probability of being selected) --> Gets rid of potential bias
-Public Opinion - -"Those opinions held by private persons which governments find it
prudent to heed."
-Political Attitude - -Opinions on specific political issues
-Gender Gap - -Difference in political views between men and women
-Straw Poll - -UNSCIENTIFIC survey used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues
and policies
-Party Identification - -a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other
(Republican, Democrat, Independent, ETC)
-Political Ideology - -a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies
government ought to pursue
-Random Sampling - -Ensures each member of the population has an equal chance of being
selected; helps represent all groups of people
-Sample - -Group of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the
whole.
-Honeymoon Period - -the time following an election when a president's popularity is high
and congressional relations are likely to be productive
-Margin of Error - -a measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll
-Political Socialization - -the transmission of political values through socialization and
environment
-Rally-Around-the-Flag Effect - -a spike in presidential popularity during international
crises
, -Issue Publics - -groups of citizens who more attentive to particular areas of public policy
than average citizens because such groups have some special stake in the issues
-Cognitive Shortcut - -A mental device allowing citizens to make complex decisions based
on a small amount of information.
-Attitudes - -An organized and consistent manner of thinking and feeling about something
-Framing - -Providing a context that allows citizens to evaluate candidates, campaigns, and
political issues
-What is a lobbyist and what is lobbying? - -Lobbyist- professionals who work to influence
public policy in favor of their clients' interest.
Lobbying- when interest groups seek to persuade government officials to support their
groups position.
-What are the primary differences between political parties and interest groups? Explain
the free rider problem interest groups face - -Political parties- put up candidates for
election
Interest groups- push for their policies to be put into law by lobbying courts, legislatures,
and the executive.
The free rider problem--> people can get the benefits of a group's work without actually
joining because these benefits are collective.
Overcoming Free rider problem -->A group must provide selective incentives
-What kinds of incentives to interest groups provide supporters, and
prospective supports, for their contribution to the group or participation in its efforts? - -
Interest groups provide:
- Purposive: supporting that interest group because you want to/pleasure of showing
support.
-Material: have monetary value such as money, gifts, services, or discounts bc they're a
member.
-Solidarity: social rewards and companionship; a sense of belonging, and the pleasure of
associating with others , for example attending a gala or social event
-What sorts of benefits do politicians receive from lobbyists? If these groups are so
beneficial, why does the public view them with such suspicion? - -Politicians benefit by:
- gaining huge following from a group that supports his/her ideals.
