Exam 5: Public Opinion

Arturo was born in 1950 and grew up outside Houston, Texas. He graduated from high school in 1967 but never attended college. Although Spanish was spoken at home, Arturo is fluent in both Spanish and English. In terms of politics, Arturo leans in the direction of moderate Republicans. He believes that his political outlook was shaped by one event more than any other. What event might that be?

Why is polling people by Internet likely to produce a non-random sample?

Public opinion refers to certain core beliefs that most American share about the nature of human beings, society, and the political order.

If findings from a random sample of 1,500 people have a 95 percent chance of accurately reflecting the views of the whole population within 3 percentage points, what percentage of the overall population would favor changing voting day from Tuesday to Sunday if the poll found that 57 percent of those polled favored the change?

What is the secret to making sure that the people interviewed in public opinion polls are representative of the whole population?

Perhaps surprisingly, there is no __________ gap on the issue of abortion.

How do pollsters assess the general mood of the country?

Which of these things is more likely than the others to undermine the validity of survey research?

The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations studied decades' worth of surveys of public and elite opinion on foreign policy issues. Which of the following statements is an accurate reflection of the researchers' conclusions?

The influence of which of the following agents of socialization best explains why a young adult might tend to be distrustful of politicians?

Of the following events, which would political scientists consider least likely to have a generational effect on people's political outlooks?

Representativeness in public opinion polling is best achieved when the people being interviewed are chosen through random sampling.

We know that people's political outlooks are shaped by major events that affect the country during their young adult years. Consider the impact of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on a person who was 18 years of age in 2001. Describe at least two political attitudes that such a person might now hold.

The family, popular culture, and schools all serve as important agents of __________.

James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Walter Lippmann, and Sir Robert Peel were alike in this opinion. What was it?

Why is it problematic to use the Internet to conduct public opinion polls?

When policy decisions are made in the dark, out of public view, __________ often influence policies that an informed public might oppose.

Jennifer grows up in a politically active household, where both her parents vote, contribute to campaigns, listen to nightly news broadcasts, and read weekly news magazines. They involve Jennifer in their discussions of the political events of the day, often commenting about the social and economic policies that they favor. In time, Jennifer learns that her parents favor government bailouts of troubled national industries and that it should act to improve public education. As she matures, she adopts the political party affiliation of her parents. What process has Jennifer undergone?

"Open-ended" or "forced-choice" questions are essentially the same thing.

If you agree that public opinion plays a crucial role in democratic government, what also must you believe for your views to be considered consistent?