AP GOVERNMENT

PUBLIC OPINIONChapter 5

PUBLIC OPINION

• The aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs by some portion of the adult population

• No ONE public opinion• Consensus Opinion – majority portion

of the public expresses the same view

• Divisive Opinion - when the public holds widely differing attitudes

• John Q Public – average man or woman on the street

• Middle America – (Kraft, 1968) refers to Americans not in poverty but not yet affluent & hold traditional middle class values

• Silent Majority – people w/traditional values (against counterculture)

What Shapes Our Public Opinions?

1. FAMILY – the majority of young people identify with their parents’ political party

Most important factor!

– Table 5.1

• When do we acquire our political knowledge?–Preschool – ideas of authority and

rules–Elementary School – concept of govt

as an institution AND political figures portrayed as honest and benevolent

–Adolescence – Begin to identify with a political party (can id w/liberal and conservative)

–Adulthood – generally no change in political beliefs• Major life change could change

beliefs

Other Factors that Shape our PO…

2. Religion – for 2 reasons:1. The social status of a religion

(Catholics and Jews were often poor immigrants and are more liberal)∴

2. Religious Tradition (Protestants emphasize personal salvation are ∴more conservative)

Other Factors continue…

3. GenderMore women identify with the liberal view (Democratic)

Figure 5.1The gender gap is the difference in political views between men and women (Table 5.3)

Other Factors continue…

4. Schooling – College students are more liberal than the general populationMore schooling increases the rate at

which people participate in politicsWHY? 3 reasons on page 110

People more likely to vote…

• Middle age or older

• White• Highly educated• Outside the South• Male

• Married• White Collared

Job• Long time

residents• Wealthy

SOCIAL CLASS

• Has changed over the decades–EX. Occupation - Professionals –

conservative in 50s but more liberal in 60s

What has remained constant?

• Unskilled workers tend to be more Democratic

• ↑in higher educational degrees favors Democrats (16 points gained)

RACE and ETHNICITY

• African Americans – Democratic• Whites – Republican• Are the differences narrowing?

– Younger AAs more likely to be Republican (26%) Table 5.6 (but is that trend changing with the election of Obama?)

– Differing views b/t leaders and AA citizens

• Most Latinos are Democratic–Except Cubans – Republican–Mexican – most Democratic

• Asians more Republican–Japanese most conservative–Koreans more liberal

REGIONAL DIFFERENCES

• Southerners more conservative (social issues)–Table 5.8 (only white Protestants)–Pro business (less so to organized

labor)–Less Democratic (Dixiecrats)

Political Ideology

• Liberal v. Conservative• Either has a patterned of set beliefs

about how govt should operate• TWO MAIN CATEGORIES

–Economics and Personal Conduct

Measuring Political Ideology…

1. Self labeling2. How accurate your ideology is

based on your views on particular subjects

• Most Americans are moderates

Then Conservatives

Last Liberals

Changes in the Definitions…

• Early 1800’s, liberalism meant personal and economic freedom from the state–Conservatives favored restoration of

the state (more govt control)• FDR – liberal referred to active govt

DEFINE THE FOLLOWING:

• Pure Liberal• Pure Conservative• Libertarian• Populist• Political Elite (activists)

INCONSISTENCIES in Public Opinions

• 1992-President George Bush• Presidential Approval rating at a low

(<40%)• Disapproval of Congress (about 80%)• Pride in being American over 90%• Belief in democracy over 60%

Public Opinion Polling

• Sampling must be representative and random

• Complete list of all available people• Selection of a random # to be

interviewed–Equal chance of being chosen

DIVISION OF U.S.• Division of nation into regions• Regions into subregions• Select several subregions in each

region • Random sample of each subregion

– Random # phone callers– Every X # of houses

Sampling Error

• Difference between sample and entire population

Margin of Error• Accuracy of poll increases when

the # polled increases

Other Inaccuracies

• Type of Questions–Emotional-loaded questions (please

the interviewer)–Differences in wording

• Respondents’ truthfulness

Push Polling

• Given misleading information in the questions

• To vote AGAINST a particular candidate

Opinions of Various Groups• Gender differences

–Health for women, defense for men• Age differences

–Less military-conscious at younger age

• Class differences–Education and income gap–Poorer-gov’t assistance–Middle to upper class-support civil

liberties

• Regional differences–South-strong military–South-prayer in school–White southerners-minimum support

for civil rights

• Racial differences–Race gap–OJ Simpson (divisive opinions)–Civil Rights support–More than Million Man March–Criticizing the Katrina Efforts–% of AA who voted for Obama v. % of

all Americans who voted for Obama