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Intro to Political Science
Table of Contents
Unit 5 Overview: Political Participation & Public Opinion
5.1 What Is Political Participation?
5.2 What Limits Voter Participation in the United States?
5.3 How Do Individuals Participate Other Than Voting?
5.4 What Is Public Opinion and Where Does It Come From?
5.5 How Do We Measure Public Opinion?
5.6 Why Is Public Opinion Important?

Public opinion shapes politics and policy, influencing elections, resource allocation, and national priorities. It's formed by demographics, personal experiences, cognitive biases, and political ideologies. Understanding these factors is key to grasping how collective views impact governance.

Media plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion through agenda-setting, framing, and priming. Social media creates echo chambers and viral content, while cultural institutions and opinion leaders further influence collective views. These forces combine to mold the public's perspective on key issues.

Understanding Public Opinion

Role of public opinion

  • Collective views, attitudes, and beliefs held by the majority of the population on a particular issue or topic
  • Influences policy decisions and legislative actions taken by elected officials and government bodies
  • Determines the success or failure of political campaigns and candidates in elections (presidential, congressional)
  • Affects the allocation of resources and government spending on programs and initiatives
  • Shapes the public agenda and prioritizes issues of national importance (healthcare, education, climate change)

Factors in opinion formation

  • Demographic factors influence specific political ideologies and voting patterns
    • Age, gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status
  • Personal experiences and socialization shape individual perspectives
    • Family upbringing and early childhood experiences
    • Education and exposure to diverse perspectives (college, travel)
    • Peer groups and social circles (friends, colleagues)
  • Cognitive biases and heuristics affect information processing
    • Confirmation bias leads individuals to seek out information that confirms pre-existing beliefs
    • Availability heuristic causes reliance on easily accessible information to form opinions
    • Framing effects demonstrate how the presentation of an issue can influence opinion formation
  • Political ideology and party affiliation guide opinion formation
    • Liberal, conservative, or moderate ideological leanings
    • Identification with a particular political party (Democratic, Republican)
  • Issue salience and personal relevance determine the importance of an issue to an individual
    • The perceived importance of an issue to an individual (healthcare for seniors)
    • The degree to which an issue directly impacts an individual's life (student loan forgiveness for recent graduates)

The Role of Media and Social Institutions

  • Mass media influences public opinion through various mechanisms
    1. Agenda-setting: media influences which issues are considered important (coverage of immigration)
    2. Framing: how media presents an issue can shape public perception (portrayal of protests as peaceful or violent)
    3. Priming: media draws attention to specific aspects of an issue, influencing evaluation (focusing on a candidate's personal life)
  • Social media and online networks create unique dynamics in opinion formation
    • Echo chambers expose individuals to like-minded perspectives, reinforcing existing beliefs (political groups on Facebook)
    • Viral content enables rapid spread of information, both accurate and inaccurate (Twitter hashtags, YouTube videos)
    • Algorithmic filtering of personalized content feeds limit exposure to diverse viewpoints (Google search results, Instagram explore page)
  • Cultural institutions shape opinions through socialization and legitimization
    • Socialization transmits values, norms, and beliefs (religious teachings, school curricula)
    • Legitimization involves the endorsement or rejection of specific opinions and ideologies (scientific consensus on climate change)
    • Community influence occurs through shared experiences and group identity (union membership, ethnic organizations)
  • Opinion leaders and influencers wield significant influence over public opinion
    • Celebrity endorsements and public figures shape discourse (Oprah's book club, Elon Musk's tweets)
    • Experts and authority figures provide credibility to specific viewpoints (Dr. Fauci on COVID-19, Warren Buffett on investing)

Key Terms to Review (56)

Entman: Entman's framing refers to a process by which media and communicators select certain aspects of a perceived reality and make them more salient in communicating text, in such a way as to promote a particular problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and/or treatment recommendation for the item described. This concept illustrates how public opinion on political issues can be shaped or influenced by the way information is presented.
Democratic liberalism: Democratic liberalism is a political ideology that combines the principles of democracy, such as majority rule and election of representatives, with liberal values like individual freedoms, equality, and protection of civil liberties. It advocates for a government system that ensures both the participation of citizens in decision-making processes and the protection of their rights and freedoms.
Civil rights movement: The Civil Rights Movement was a series of social and political campaigns in the United States aimed at ending racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans, and securing legal recognition and federal protection of the citizenship rights enumerated in the Constitution and federal law. It spanned from the 1950s to the 1960s, featuring nonviolent protests, legal challenges, and community actions.
Barelson: Barelson is a hypothetical term within the context of political science, particularly in the study of political participation and public opinion. It refers to the phenomenon where an individual's political beliefs and behaviors are significantly influenced by their immediate social environment, such as family, friends, and coworkers.
Political socialization: Political socialization is the process by which individuals learn and internalize the values, beliefs, and norms regarding political life and the political system from their surroundings, shaping their political attitudes and behaviors. It occurs throughout one’s life, starting in childhood, through various agents such as family, education systems, peer groups, media, and significant events.
Krosnick: Jon A. Krosnick is a renowned social psychologist and professor whose research significantly impacts our understanding of public opinion, especially how individuals form their opinions and participate in politics. His studies delve into the elements that influence voters' decisions, the effects of question wording on survey responses, and the psychology behind political attitudes and behaviors.
Echo chambers: An echo chamber in the context of social media and the internet is a situation where beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a closed system, often resulting in misinformation and polarization. It limits exposure to diverse perspectives, leading to an increasingly fragmented society where groups do not have access to a shared set of facts.
Political ideology: Political ideology is a set of ethical ideals, principles, doctrines, myths, or symbols of a social movement, institution, class, or large group that explains how society should work and offers some political and cultural blueprint for a certain social order. It encompasses a broad range of topics including economics, education, healthcare policy, and human rights.
Lazarsfeld: Paul F. Lazarsfeld was a pioneering sociologist and social researcher who significantly contributed to understanding the effects of media, especially radio, on public opinion and voting behavior. His work laid the foundation for modern studies on media influence, particularly in how people form their political opinions and participate in democracy.
January 6, 2021 riots: The January 6, 2021 riots were a violent attack on the United States Capitol by a mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump, aiming to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. This event marked a significant challenge to the US democratic process and highlighted deep divisions within American society.
Demographics: Demographics are statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it, often used to identify trends in human populations over time. These statistics can include age, race, gender, income level, education, and more, providing a snapshot of a population’s characteristics at a given point in time.
Liberal: In the context of political science, especially regarding political participation and public opinion, a liberal is someone who generally supports reformative policies aimed at promoting social progress and maintaining individual rights. They often advocate for government intervention in the economy to address social inequalities and support civil liberties and environmental protection.
Katz: In the context of political science, especially within the study of political participation and public opinion, Katz refers to Daniel Katz's theory on attitude formation and change, highlighting the role of personal motivation in shaping political opinions. Katz's work is pivotal in understanding how individual attitudes are formed and the influence they have on political behavior.
Conservative: In the context of political science, a conservative is someone who advocates for maintaining traditional social institutions and values, often prioritizing stability and continuity over radical change. Conservatives typically support limited government intervention in the economy and uphold traditional moral values.
Bryce: In the context of political science, particularly within the chapter on Political Participation and Public Opinion, "Bryce" refers to the concept or observation known as Bryce's Law, which suggests that public opinion in democracies tends to be fragmented due to the diverse nature of interests and perspectives among the populace. This law underscores the challenge in achieving a unified stance on various issues, highlighting the complexity of democratic governance.
Issue publics: Issue publics are groups of people who are especially attentive to and active on specific political issues that they care deeply about. These individuals are more likely to seek information, participate in discussions, and engage in activities related to these concerns than the general public.
McPhee: In the context of political science, particularly within the discussion of political participation and public opinion, McPhee refers to a theory or model proposed by William McPhee concerning how mass communication and interpersonal interactions shape public opinion. This model emphasizes the role of media and social networks in forming, reinforcing, or changing individuals' political views and behaviors.
Lippmann: Walter Lippmann was an influential American writer, journalist, and political commentator known for his critical analysis of public opinion and democracy. His work emphasized the challenges in achieving a truly informed public opinion, advocating for the role of experts in guiding democracy.
Elite opinion: Elite opinion is the collective attitudes or beliefs held by individuals who possess a disproportionate amount of social, political, or economic power within a society. It often influences public policy and the broader public opinion through media channels and political discourse.
Public opinion: Public opinion is the collective preferences and attitudes of people on various issues, policies, and individuals, especially as it relates to governance and public affairs. It is shaped by social, economic, and political factors and can influence government action and policy.
Agenda-setting theory: Agenda-setting theory suggests that the media doesn't tell us what to think, but rather what to think about by selecting which issues are important enough to receive news coverage. The amount and type of coverage an issue gets can influence the public's perception of its importance.
Social media: Social media encompasses a wide range of online platforms and applications that enable users to create, share content, and participate in social networking. It has become a significant tool for communication, information sharing, and influencing public opinion.
Opinion leaders: Opinion leaders are influential individuals within a community or social group who shape public opinion by sharing their views and insights. They often have authority, expertise, or charisma that makes others likely to follow their lead on political and social issues.
Social conservatism: Social conservatism is a political ideology focused on preserving traditional beliefs, values, and institutions, particularly regarding family structure, sexual norms, and national identity. It emphasizes moral standards and often opposes rapid change in social policies.
Public opinion poll: A public opinion poll is a survey used to collect the attitudes, beliefs, and opinions of a specific group of people on various issues. It employs a systematic method to quantify the views of the population or targeted demographic.
Key: Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population concerning political issues, policies, and leaders. It plays a pivotal role in shaping policy decisions and political actions within a society.
Majority opinion: Majority opinion is the judicial decision agreed upon by more than half of the members of a court in a particular case, reflecting the prevailing viewpoint. It serves as an official verdict and often sets a legal precedent for future cases.
Socialization: Socialization is the process through which individuals learn and internalize the values, beliefs, norms, and political ideologies of their society. It shapes how people perceive politics, influencing their political attitudes and behaviors over time.
Legitimacy: Legitimacy in political science refers to the general belief that a rule, institution, or leader has the right to govern. It stems from the consent of the governed, legal statutes, or cultural acceptance.
Page: Public opinion is the collective preference or attitude of a population towards political issues, policies, and actions. It represents the aggregate views of individuals within a society about topics of public interest.
Progressive Era: The Progressive Era was a period of widespread social activism and political reform in the United States that spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was characterized by a push for greater government intervention to address societal problems and improve the welfare of citizens, particularly the working class and marginalized groups.
Socialization: Socialization is the process by which individuals acquire the knowledge, skills, values, and habits that enable them to function effectively within a particular society or group. It is a fundamental aspect of human development that shapes how individuals perceive the world, interact with others, and form their sense of identity and belonging.
Conservatism: Conservatism is a political ideology that emphasizes the preservation of traditional values, institutions, and social structures. It typically advocates for limited government, free-market economics, and the protection of individual liberties and private property rights.
Public Opinion: Public opinion refers to the collective views, attitudes, and beliefs of a population on various political, social, and economic issues. It represents the general sentiment or consensus among the public on matters of public concern and is a crucial factor in shaping the policies and decisions of governments and other institutions.
Liberalism: Liberalism is a political and economic philosophy that emphasizes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free market capitalism. It is a broad term that encompasses various schools of thought, but at its core, liberalism promotes the idea of limited government and the protection of individual freedoms. The principles of liberalism are central to understanding topics such as individuals, groups, and institutions in international relations, the factors that influence political choices, the social contract and the role of government, contemporary democratic ideologies, the formation of public opinion, and the worldviews that shape international political economy.
Confirmation Bias: Confirmation bias is the tendency for people to seek out, interpret, and prioritize information that confirms their existing beliefs or hypotheses, while ignoring or downplaying information that contradicts them. This cognitive bias influences how individuals, groups, institutions, and international relations make political choices, as well as how public opinion is formed and how trust in the media is declining globally.
Framing Effects: Framing effects refer to the way in which the presentation and context of information can influence people's perceptions, attitudes, and decisions. The way an issue or choice is framed can have a significant impact on how individuals perceive and respond to it, even when the underlying information remains the same.
Political Socialization: Political socialization is the process by which individuals acquire their political beliefs, values, and behaviors. It is the way people develop their political identity and learn how to participate in the political system. This term is closely connected to understanding why humans make the political choices they do, how human behavior is partially predictable, the importance of context for political decisions, the origins of public opinion, and the ways people become politically engaged.
Agenda-Setting: Agenda-setting is the process by which the media, through its selection and prominence of certain issues, influences the public's perception of what topics are important and worthy of attention. This concept connects to how humans make political choices, the importance of context in political decisions, the formation and influence of public opinion, and the role of the media in the political landscape.
Echo Chambers: Echo chambers refer to online environments where individuals are exposed to information and opinions that reinforce their existing beliefs, often leading to the amplification and polarization of those beliefs. This phenomenon is closely tied to how individuals participate in the political process, the formation of public opinion, and the role of the media in shaping political discourse.
Civil Rights Movement: The Civil Rights Movement was a long-lasting struggle for racial equality and justice in the United States, particularly for African Americans. It encompassed various social, political, and legal efforts to end racial discrimination and secure equal rights and opportunities in areas such as voting, education, housing, and public accommodations.
Polling: Polling is the systematic collection of opinions or data from a sample of individuals, typically used to understand public opinion on various issues. It is a crucial tool for political scientists and policymakers to gauge the attitudes, preferences, and beliefs of a population.
Random Sampling: Random sampling is a method of selecting a sample from a population where each individual in the population has an equal chance of being chosen. This technique ensures that the sample is representative of the larger population, allowing researchers to draw valid conclusions about the population based on the sample data.
Social Media: Social media refers to the various online platforms and applications that enable users to create, share, and interact with user-generated content. These platforms facilitate the exchange of information, ideas, and experiences among individuals and communities in a digital environment.
Political Ideology: Political ideology is a set of beliefs, values, and principles that shape an individual's or group's political views and guide their political actions. It provides a framework for understanding and interpreting the political world, and influences how people perceive and engage with issues related to government, power, and social change.
Pew Research Center: The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan think tank that conducts public opinion surveys, demographic studies, and data-driven social science research to provide insights into the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world. It plays a crucial role in understanding and analyzing public opinion, a key aspect of the topics covered in 5.4 What Is Public Opinion and Where Does It Come From?.
Cognitive Biases: Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from rationality in judgment and decision-making. They are mental shortcuts or heuristics that influence how individuals perceive, process, and interpret information, often leading to inaccurate or distorted conclusions. These biases can significantly impact public opinion formation and the way individuals make sense of the world around them.
George Gallup: George Gallup was an American pioneer in the field of public opinion polling. He is best known for founding the Gallup Poll, one of the most influential and widely used survey research organizations in the world, which has played a crucial role in understanding and measuring public opinion.
Availability Heuristic: The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that relies on the immediate examples that come to mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method or decision. It is a type of cognitive bias that influences our judgments and decision-making by overweighting information that is readily available to us.
Survey Research: Survey research is a method of gathering data from a sample of individuals through the use of standardized questionnaires or interviews. It is a widely used approach in the social sciences to understand public opinion, attitudes, behaviors, and other characteristics of a population.
Mass Media: Mass media refers to the various means of communication that reach and influence a large, diverse audience. It encompasses various platforms, such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the internet, that disseminate information, entertainment, and advertising to the general public.
Issue Salience: Issue salience refers to the importance or prominence of a particular political issue in the public's mind. It reflects the degree to which an issue is perceived as significant and worthy of attention by the general population, and can influence both public opinion and the political agenda.
Exit Polls: Exit polls are surveys conducted with voters as they leave a polling place after casting their ballots. These polls aim to gather information about voter behavior, preferences, and the factors that influenced their voting decisions. Exit polls play a crucial role in understanding public opinion and the dynamics of the electoral process.
Cold War Period: The Cold War period refers to the geopolitical and ideological tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, and their respective allies, that dominated international relations in the decades following World War II. This period was characterized by a lack of direct military conflict between the superpowers, but intense competition and proxy wars in various regions of the world.
Priming: Priming is a cognitive process in which exposure to a stimulus influences the response to a subsequent stimulus, without conscious awareness or intention. It is a fundamental concept in understanding how public opinion is formed and shaped.
Demographics: Demographics refers to the statistical data and characteristics of a population, such as age, gender, income, education level, race, and other factors. It is a crucial aspect of understanding public opinion, as demographic factors can significantly influence individuals' beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Demographics provide insights into the composition and diversity of a population, which is essential for policymakers, marketers, and researchers to tailor their approaches and make informed decisions.