Term
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Definition
| What the public, as a whole, feels about a certain issue. |
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Term
| What did V. O. Key say public opinion is? |
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Definition
| "Those opinions held by private persons which governments find it prudent [reasonable] to heed..." |
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Term
| In what way was public opinion measured? |
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Definition
- Straw poll-a nonscientific method of measuring public opinion.
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Term
| Why is the Literary Digest, 1936 Significant? |
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Definition
| The Literary Digest sampled only car owners and phone owners. At that time, there was a small percentage of people who owned cars and phones. |
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Term
| The 3 factors that decide poll accuracy |
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Definition
1. Sample size- The bigger the sample size, the smaller the possible margin of error
2. Random sample- Everyone in a population has an equal chance of being selected for a poll
3. Reliability- Who published the poll? |
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Term
| How do political leaders use polls? |
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Definition
| Candidates use pollsters to check the popularity of candidates in the population |
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Term
| What are the 2 types of media polls? |
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Definition
1. Tracking polls- show the change in support for a candidate (or issue) over time
2. Exit polls- question voters in person as they leave the voting booth |
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Term
| What is political socialization? |
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Definition
| The process by which we learn about politics and develop our political beliefs. |
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Term
| What are some (4) factors of Political Socialization? |
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Definition
1. Family relationships.
2. Schools.
3. Peer Groups
4. Mass Media |
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Term
| What is the Generational effect? |
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Definition
| Socialization patterns in which a generation of adults who grew up during a certain decade appears to have its own outlook |
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Term
| What are the 6 social variables that influence voter opinion? |
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Definition
1. Class
2. Income
3. Race and Ethnicity
4. Religion
5. Region
6. Gender |
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Term
| What are three key variables that shape our political culture? |
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Definition
1. Core values
2. Political ideology
3. Culture and lifestyle |
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Term
| Do you feel tolerance is a core American value? |
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Definition
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Term
| Political awareness and involvement is poor among modern americans |
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Definition
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Term
| How are political opinions formed? |
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Definition
1. Party identification as a schema
2. Realignment is a fundamental shift in party identification |
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Term
| 3 factors on the stability of public opinion? |
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Definition
1. Intensity- depth of feeling / "hot button issues"
2. Latency- hidden, unspoken feelings
3. Salience- feeling that an issue impacts your life. |
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