The main factors shaping public opinion include family, school/education, mass media, peer groups, opinion leaders, and historic events.

Table of Contents

What is the correct definition of public opinion quizlet?

public opinion. definition: the distribution of individual preferences or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population.

What is a public opinion poll and how are they helpful to governments quizlet?

Public Opinion is a vital part of the political process. It identifies issues for resolution, brings views into political debate, helps choose the political candidates, and gives policymakers some idea of what the voters want.

What is the most reliable measure of public opinion quizlet?

Public opinion is best measured by public opinion polls. Opinion polls are taken in order to collect information by asking people questions. There are two major types of opinion polls: straw polls and scientific polls.

What factors influence public opinion?

Public opinion can be influenced by public relations and the political media. Additionally, mass media utilizes a wide variety of advertising techniques to get their message out and change the minds of people. Since the 1950s, television has been the main medium for molding public opinion.

Why might public policies shape public opinion quizlet?

A public policy might serve as a moral or ethical cue that shapes attitudes. Citizens’ experience with the programs or policies exposes them to new ideas, which can change opinion. Seeing the policies in action and whether or not the policies were successful can influence public opinion about the policies.

How does public opinion influence public policy quizlet?

How does public opinion affect policy making? Public opinion does not make public policy; rather, it restrains government officials from making truly unpopular actions/laws.

How are public opinion polls conducted quizlet?

1. Public opinion polls are snapshots of the opinions and preference of the people at a specific moment in time and as expressed in response to a specific question. 3. Unscientific mail in polls, telephone call-in polls, and polls completed by a campaign.

What is public policy quizlet?

public policy. Public policy refers to the laws, the actions of the government, the funding priorities and the regulations that reflect given positions, attitudes, cultural ideals or accepted rules.

Why are public opinion polls not always accurate quizlet?

Sample Answer: Public opinion polls are not always accurate because they can reflect bias depending upon the sampled polled, as when the sample is too narrow and is not accurately reflective of the population. Also, respondents are not always truthful; this can impact the accuracy of the poll.

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Why is public opinion difficult to define?

Public opinion is difficult to define and is just that: opinion. It is rarely the result of thoughtful analysis or deep learning. … Public Participation is the process of making really hard decisions on complex issues with diverse stakeholder viewpoints. We don’t traffic in public opinion.

What factors shape public policy?

Public policies are influenced by a variety of factors including public opinion, economic conditions, new scientific findings, technological change, interest groups, NGOs, business lobbying, and political activity.

How do public opinion polls affect elections quizlet?

How do polls affect presidential elections? Polls tell voters the issues that the candidates support. … Representatives run for election every two years and must constantly raise campaign money. They abide by public opinion because do not have time to explain their actions or mend fences before each election.

How do politicians use public opinion polls quizlet?

Politicians mostly use public opinion data to tell them how to vote on matters of public policy. … Politicians mostly ignore the results of public opinion polls, preferring to rely on their own judgment.

What is a main purpose of public opinion polls?

Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence intervals.

What is the relationship between public relations and public opinion?

Public relations efforts also target public opinion, but in a way that motivates the public to buy a certain product, hear a message more clearly, or learn about a new business in a creative and unusual way. Public relations, therefore, is typically more commercialized than public affairs.

Why is public opinion important in a democracy quizlet?

Why is public opinion important? It guides government action, influences public policy, gives feedback to politicians. It gives self rule in democracy.

What is another word for public opinion?

In this page you can discover 22 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for public-opinion, like: social pressure, climate of opinion, public belief, common belief, influence, power of the press, group pressure, conventional-wisdom, general belief, popular belief and prevailing belief.

Why are public officials most likely to be influenced by public opinion high in intensity?

Q. Why are public officials most likely to be influenced by public opinion high in intensity? More people share the opinion.

Which statement best describes the relationship between public opinion and government policy?

Which statement best describes the relationship between public opinion and government policy? The relationship between government policy and public opinion is dynamic, where government policy responds to public opinion but public opinion also shifts based on government policies.

What does the term gender gap refer to quizlet?

The term gender gap refers to. Differences in voting behavior between men and women.

How do most scholars characterize public opinion quizlet?

How do most scholars characterize public opinion? Public opinion is the aggregation of popular preferences of people from all segments of society.

What are some factors that affect and shape the decisions of public policymakers quizlet?

Which statement best characterizes the partisan difference in public opinion?

Which statement best characterizes the partisan differences in public opinion? –Democrat and Republican voters strongly disagree on several issues.

What is public policy what is its purpose quizlet?

-an intentional course of action. -developed and followed by governmental institutions and officials. –to solve an issue of public concern.

What is the best definition for public policy?

Public policy is best described as the broad area of government laws, regulations, court decisions, and local ordinances. Today, government affects all aspects of our lives. … Many citizens and groups try to influence public policy through the political process by supporting candidates and political parties.

What is public policy get the gist quizlet?

What is public policy? action taken by government to address a social problems or needs.

What is a political opinion quizlet?

the attitudes of individuals regarding their political leaders and institutions as well as political and social issues.

What is a public opinion poll Chapter 10?

Public Opinion Polls. surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the beliefs of the entire population.

Which of the following is the strongest source of political socialization?

Political socialization occurs in many ways: Family: Young children usually spend far more time with their families than with anyone else and thus tend to acquire the family’s habits, beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes. For this reason, family tends to be the most important source of political socialization.

Why did the communist regime's attempt to socialize schoolchildren fail in Poland?

Why did the Communist regime’s attempt to socialize schoolchildren fail in Poland? Communist ideas conflicted with the values that Polish families taught. What is one example of a way in which socialization through families and socialization through mass media reinforce each other?