public opinion and political participation

Public Opinion and Political Action

Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action

The American People How Americans Learn About Politics:

Political Socialization Measuring Public Opinion and Political

Information What Americans Value: Political Ideologies How Americans Participate in Politics Understanding Public Opinion and Political

Action Summary

Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives

The American PeopleLO 6.1: Identify demographic trends and

their likely impact on American politics. How Americans Learn About Politics:

Political SocializationLO 6.2: Outline how various forms of

socialization shape political opinions.


Measuring Public Opinion and Political InformationLO 6.3: Explain how polls are conducted and

what can be learned from them about American public opinion.

What Americans Value: Political IdeologiesLO 6.4: Assess the influence of political

ideology on Americans’ political thinking and behavior.


How Americans Participate in PoliticsLO 6.5: Classify forms of political

participation into two broad types. Understanding Public Opinion and Political

ActionLO 6.6: Analyze how public opinion about

the scope of government guides political behavior.

Public Opinion and Political Action Why is Public Opinion important in the

US?

-In a Representative Democracy, citizens’ preferences are supposed to guide policy makers

Introduction What is Public Opinion?

The distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues

Americans a very diverse There are many “publics” in America Many groups with many opinions rather than

a single public opinion This chapter focuses on the nature of these

“public opinions”, how citizens learn about politics, and to what extent these opinions are conveyed to government through various types of political participation

A Way of Looking at the American Public One way of looking at the American

public is through - Demography The science of human population Census Required every 10 years by the

Constitution A valuable tool for understanding

population changes in the US

census

The American PeopleLO 6.1: Identify demographic trends and their likely impact on American politics.

The Immigrant Society The American Melting Pot The Regional Shift The Graying of America

To Learning ObjectivesCopyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

The American People

The Immigrant SocietyUnited States is a nation of

immigrants.Three waves of Immigration:

• Northwestern Europeans (prior to late 19th Century)

• Southern and eastern Europeans (late 19th and early 20th centuries)

• Hispanics and Asians (late 20th century)

The American People

The American Melting PotMelting Pot: the mixing of cultures,

ideas, and peoples that has changed the American nation

Minority Majority: the emergence of a non-Caucasian majority, minority groups will be 50% or more of the population

LO 6.1

To Learning ObjectivesCopyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

The American People

The American Melting Pot (continued) African Americans face a legacy of racism.

• economically disadvantaged• Political power

Hispanics are the largest minority group faced with the problem of illegal immigration.

• Simpson-Mazzoli Act(1986): requires employers document citizenship of employee

• Gaining power in the Southwest Asian immigration has been driven by a new class of

professional workers. Most highly skilled immigrant group

Native Americans: least healthy, the poorest, and least educated

The American People The Regional Shift

Population shift from east to west

Reapportionment: the process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census

Can you think of other ways this regional shift can impact the political process?

The American People

The Graying of AmericaFastest growing age group is over 65Potential drain on Social Security

• Pay as you go system• In 1940, 42 workers per retiree• 1960, 5.7 workers per retiree• 2010, 3 workers per retiree• In 2040, 2 workers per retiree

How does an a graying of America impact the political process?

The American People

The American People

Americans live in an increasingly multicultural and multilingual society

Yet, regardless of ethnic background most Americans share a common political culture

Political culture is an overall set of values widely shared within a society.

How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization

Political Socialization:“the process through which and

individual acquires (their) particular political orientation”

Orientation grows firmer with age

Political Socialization

How do each of following have an impact on an individuals’ political views

The Family The Mass Media School Which one, do you think,

has had the greatest impact on you? Why?

How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization

The Process of Political Socialization The Family

• Political leanings of children often mirror their parents’ leanings

The Mass Media• Chief source of information as children age• Generation gap in viewing television news

School• Used by government to socialize young into political culture• Better-educated citizens are more likely to vote and are

more knowledgeable about politics and policy. Political Learning Over a Lifetime

Aging increases political participation and strength of party attachment.

How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization The Process of Political Socialization

Opinion leadersRace/EthnicityGenderPlace of ResidenceOccupation

“There are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics.” “Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable.”

.

Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information

Government leaders make public policy based on what Americans feel they need.

Measuring Opinion

Elections – “mandate theory” – results can be misleading

Interest Groups – hard to measure

The Media – “mirrors” and “molders” or PO; reflect and shape

Personal Contacts – letters, emails, telephone calls

Public Opinion Polls – best way to measure public opinion

Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information How Polls Are Conducted

Choose the universe to be surveyedGet a representative samplePrepare valid questionsSelect and control the polling processReport the results


How Polls Are Conducted Sample: a small proportion of people who are chosen in a

survey to be representative of the whole Random Sampling: the key technique employed by sophisticated

survey researchers which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample

Sampling Error: the level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll

In public opinion polling, a sample of about 1,000-1,500 people can accurately represent the “universe” of potential voters

A typical poll of 1,500-2,000 respondents has a sampling error of +/- 3%

What this means is that 95% of the time the poll results are within 3% of what the entire population thinks.

Example: Gallup

Polling Companies

In the United States, some notable companies include: D3 Systems, Inc. Gallup poll run by The Gallup Organization Harris Poll National Opinion Research Center Nielsen ratings Pew Research Center Rasmussen Reports Research 2000 YouGov. Zogby International

Polling Pros/Cons

1.List at least 3 reasons why polling can be a positive to the political process in the U.S.

2.List at least 3 reasons why polling can be a negative to the political process in the U.S.

Polling Report

Polling Activity

Analyzing Poll Results Interpreting Public Opinion Pollingreport.com

Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information The Role of Polls in American

DemocracyPolls help politicians detect public

preferences.But critics say polls make politicians

think more about following the public instead of leading the public

Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information The Role of Polls in American

Democracy (continued)Exit Polls: used by the media to

predict election day winners• May discourage people from voting• 2000 presidential election in Florida

Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information What Polls Reveal About Americans’

Political Information Americans don’t know much about politics. Americans may know their basic beliefs but

not how that affects policies of the government.

The Decline of Trust in Government Since 1964, trust in government has

declined. Trust in government has gone up somewhat

since September 11 but recently has seen a downward trend

Agents of Socialization

Influence in one degree or another an individual's political opinions: Family, Media, Peers, Education, Religion, Race, Gender, Age and Geography.

These factors and many others the people are introduced to as they are growing up will affect their political views throughout the rest of their lives.

What Americans Value: Political Ideologies Political Ideology:

A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose

Who Are the Liberals and Conservatives? Predominance of conservative over liberal

thinking Currently about 38% conservative, 24%

liberal, 38% moderate• Gender gap: women tend to be less conservative

than men

SELF TEST TIME!!!

Spectrum 8 - 120 - 7 13 - 20

Socialism: Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of Socialism: Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy. plans and controls the economy.

Communism: A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a Communism: A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are order in which all goods are equallyequally shared by the people. shared by the people.

Reactionary: An extremely conservative person or position that not only resists change but seeks to Reactionary: An extremely conservative person or position that not only resists change but seeks to return to the “good old days” of an earlier social order. return to the “good old days” of an earlier social order.

Fascism: a political theory advocating an authoritarian hierarchical government (as opposed to Fascism: a political theory advocating an authoritarian hierarchical government (as opposed to democracy or liberalism) democracy or liberalism)

The Political SpectrumLiberal or Left Wing

Group responsibility General welfare Looking to the future for

guidance Change Optimistic view of human

nature Personal freedom over order Religious tolerance Trust government Business is self absorbed

Conservative or Right Wing Individual accountability Personal rights and

responsibility Looking to the past or using

tradition for guidance Stability Pessimistic view of human

nature Order over personal freedom “Traditional” religious values Keep government small Trust business

Political Ideologies

What Americans Value: Political Ideologies Do People Think in Ideological Terms?

Ideologues: those who think in ideological terms (12 percent)

Group Benefits voters: view politics through party label (42 percent)

Nature of the Times: view of politics based on whether times are good or bad (24 percent)

No issue content: vote routinely for party or personality (22 percent)

How Americans Participate in Politics Political Participation: all the activities

used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue

Conventional ParticipationVoting in electionsWorking in campaigns or running for

officeContacting elected officialsDonating $

How Americans Participate in Politics Protest as Participation

Protest: a form of political participation designed to achieve policy changes through dramatic and unconventional tactics

Civil disobedience: a form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences

How Americans Participate in Politics Class, Inequality, and Participation

Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action Public Attitudes Toward the Scope of

Government Many people have no opinion about scope of

government. Public opinion is inconsistent, which may lead to

policy gridlock. Democracy, Public Opinion, and Political Action

Americans select leaders, but do they do so wisely?

If people know little about candidates’ issues, how can they?

People vote more for performance than policy.

Summary

American society is ethnically diverse and changing.

Knowing public opinion is important to a democracy

polling has costs and benefits. Americans know little about politics. Political participation is generally low.