10: Public Opinion and Political Socialization

Which is a critique of public opinion polling? Pollsters are notoriously partial in their questioning and therefore polling results tend to be insignificant. Polls are typically not done with any standard frequency, so results tend to not depict the public’s fluctuating opinions. They are notoriously mercurial in nature and can fluctuate dramatically from week to week. They are unreliable due to the subjective nature of polling questions.

Which best describes the relationship between polling and policy? Polling is used frequently by policy makers, but has undetermined significance. It is nearly impossible to find any instances wherein polling has not played a significant role in policy-making. Polling is a reliable tool for assessing public opinion, but it is rarely useful in terms of policy-making. Polling is an unreliable tool that is largely ineffective in helping policy makers.

Which tool is unlikely to be used by a pollster when taking public opinion? Political cartoons Statistical software Robocall technology Social media

Which best describes the use of public opinion polls today? The media use public opinion data extensively. Public opinion polls are generally misused by the media. Public opinion polls remain a relative rarity due to their exorbitant cost. Politicians generally consider public opinion polls undignified and refuse to consider what these polls say when crafting policy.

Who wrote, “all government rests on public opinion”? the authors of The Federalist Papers George Gallup Thomas Jefferson John Locke

Which is true regarding the relationship between schooling and political socialization? Children do not tend to show any amount of political influence until they reach college. Elementary school children do not display any political influence, whereas high school aged children tend to show Republican political influences. Public schools are increasingly leaning towards removing the citizenship component of education in favor of less national allegiance. Studies show that college students tend to become more liberal with each year of schooling.

Which of the following is true about political attitudes? Political socialization has the largest effect on political independents. Newspapers are the most influential form of news media on attitude formation. The president tries to shape public opinion by using the bully pulpit. Americans are fairly knowledgeable about domestic politics.

Which issue has historically revealed some of the bigger gender differences in political attitudes? campaign finance policy military policy transportation policy agricultural policy

Which of the following socializing agents plays the greatest role in our earliest views on political matters? kindergarten parents media friends

What is the process through which an individual acquires particular political beliefs and values? public opinion surveying political socialization political acclimation juvenile politicization

Which are the four functions that contribute to political ideologies? Evaluation, expression, socioeconomic, liberation Explanation, evaluation, orientation, political program Socialization, explanation, evaluation, orientation Liberal, statist, conservative, libertarian

Which scenario is a conservative most likely to support? A local government decides to remove a particular piece of curriculum from its public schools’ teachings A local government asks FEMA for money to help repair roads after tornado Members of congress form a committee to fight homelessness on a national level A state’s government increases income taxes on annual incomes of $150K or more

Complete this analogy: Liberal is to conservative as statist is to _______. Libertarian Left Right Centrist

Which of the following is a person who considers his- or herself liberal likely to believe? Limited government Government should foster development of equality Fiscal responsibility Government support of traditional morality

Americans are most likely to have opinions on policies that _____. contribute to a sense of community benefit society as a whole affect them personally expand the power of the government

In a close election, the _____ can make it difficult to make accurate predictions. margin of error political socialization of the candidates tracking poll population size

One of the difficulties of conducting and interpreting public opinion polls is ______. the lack of public interest in many political issues ensuring that the due process rights of the respondents are protected the lack of sufficient Internet access accounting for the political affiliations of those being polled

The intent of a push poll is to provide _______. negative information about a candidate’s opponent statistics concerning what a candidate’s intent is accurate results about public opinion on social issues positive information about comparing candidates in a race

If an interviewer asks you questions immediately after you vote on Election Day, what type of poll are you participating in? tracking poll telephone poll straw poll exit poll

What is the most rigorous sampling technique? person- on-the-street self-selected quota stratified

Which error occurs due to the level of motivation of those being polled? Self-selection Skewed sample Straw polling Push polling

Why is Walter Lippmann credited with spurring the growth of public opinion polling? Lippmann discovered three fatal errors in the Literary Digest poll that wrongly predicted that Republican Alfred M. Landon would beat incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Lippmann tried to predict the winner of the presidential contest between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams. Lippmann was a pioneer in the use of the straw poll. Lippmann wrote a book in which he observed that research on public opinion was far too limited, especially in light of its importance.

American National Election Studies (ANES) surveys are done frequently and ask respondents whom they voted for, their party affiliation, and their opinions of political parties and their candidates. These surveys help political scientists _____. raise money for political campaigns understand why people vote the way they do predict Supreme Court decisions understand the separation of powers built into the electoral system

What type of poll did Literary Digest use to predict the popular vote in presidential elections? straw tracking entrance exit