Public Opinion in The United States

Jon Stewart on Chris Wallace

• Jon Stewart – The Daily Show on Comedy Central • The goal was "schnicks and giggles” • 1999-2015

• Chris Wallace – Fox Sunday News on FOX • Previously worked for ABC – Primetime Thursday and NBC – The Nightly News • Registered as a Democrat

• “Pragmatic” – Opinionated and practical (Wallace argues democrats participate in gov’t)

• Light Fluff • Sensationalism, Conflict, Laziness

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

• Nonpartisan American think tank • Based in Washington, D.C. • Provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends

shaping the United States and the world. • Considered to be “non partisan”

• U.S. Politics & Policy • Journalism & Media • Internet, Science & Tech • Religion & Public Life • Hispanic Trends • Global Attitudes & Trends • Social & Demographic Trends • Policy positions.

Intent Matters

Referred visitors glance at the news Visitors who directly access a site spend much longer But how much can you really read in 4:36? As it, it’s just over 11 seconds per page!

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted June 20-24, 2013, with a random sample of 2,048 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Scary…

Eight people out of the 1,502 respondents answered all 23 questions correctly. At the other end of the spectrum, five people failed to answer a single question correctly.

To measure overall knowledge levels, a core group of 23 of the 26 questions was used to form a knowledge index.

http://www.people-press.org/files/legacy-questionnaires/319.pdf

Age or Preference?

Why do you think viewers of entertainment shows such as Colbert and The Daily Show are considered “more knowledgeable?” Is this survey biased? Forty-three percent of Colbert’s audience is under the age of 30 and 39 percent of Jon Stewart’s Daily Show audience falls into the same demographic. Yet those aged 18-29 comprise 23 percent of the nation’s total population. By contrast the bulk of Fox News’s audience is 50 and over, comprising 66 percent of Sean Hannity’s audience and 64 percent of Bill O’Reilly’s audience to name a few conservative-oriented programs.

Quinnipiac Poll

• Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT • Surveys public opinion in Connecticut, Florida, New

York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and nationally

• 10 Full Time Workers • 160 Work-Study Participants (Students) • No funding received from outside parties • Considered to be the most accurate poll

• Within a mean error of 2.0 percent

Gallup Poll

• Founded by George Gallup in 1935 in Princeton, NJ • Objective, non-sponsored polls

• Gallup Inc. is a performance-management consulting company

• Gallup Poll is a division of the company • Loses $10 million annually for the company • Maintains company’s integrity and reputation

• Conducts 1,000 polls per day, 365 days per year • Criticized for being inaccurate and underweighting minority

opinions

Gallup does more than just politics

Are people jumping on bandwagons?

Appearance Matters

• MIT Study • Photos of political leaders from foreign

countries shown to people in the United States, India, and Mexico • Same candidates selected 75-80% of the time

• Northwestern University • Attractiveness and Competent • Women’s appearances matter more

"They know that, contrary to popular notions, people are not necessarily using deliberate and rational strategies in deciding whom to vote for, especially when it comes to women.“ -Joan Chiao, psychologist at Northwestern University

The competent face shape is masculine but approachable, with a square jaw, high cheekbones, and large eyes. When people say Romney just looks presidential, this is the image they’re summoning. -Alex Todorov, psychologist at Princeton

But the tone of your reds matters, too. Darker reds, such as a burgundy, can help build trust, while lighter red and pink ties can be more of a statement about your personal style and be associated

with creativity. In the last decade, a pink tie can sometimes signal “solidarity with women,” added Woodman.

Tie-ing It All Together… RED = Power Tie Darker reds, such as a burgundy, can help build trust, while lighter red and pink ties can be more of a statement about your personal style and be associated with creativity. In the last decade, a pink tie can sometimes signal “solidarity with women,” added Woodman. BLUE = Safe Tie Blue has a “calming effect” Gives a sense of confidence to people viewing Classic color Research says

THIS matters

What Can YOU Do?

• Research, research, research…

• Use websites such as… • Factcheck.org

• Snopes.com

Make a Poll

• “Basic” Current Event Questions • News • Social Media • Radio • Political Identification • Age • Gender/Sex • Intrinsic Interest in Politics • Self-Assessment of Knowledge

Resources

• http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/09/24/how-social-media-is-reshaping-news/

• http://www.people-press.org/2007/04/15/public-knowledge-of-current-affairs-little-changed-by-news-and-information-revolutions/

• http://www.gallup.com/poll/163412/americans-main-source-news.aspx