Gov: Chapter 9 Review

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Review:

public opinion, political socialization, agents of socialization, opinion makers, straw polls, scientific sampling, opinion poll, margin of error, benchmark poll, tracking polls, exit polls, push poll, mass media, print media, broadcast media, electronic media, World Wide Web, news media, “new” media, blogs, agenda-setting power, opinion journalism, staged events, on-the-record conversation, off-the-record conversation, spin, sound bites, trial balloons, leak, media bias, focus groups, photo op, horse race coverage, soap opera stories, “gotcha” journalism, negative campaigning, mudslinging

Chapter 9 Summary

In a democracy, public opinion serves as a guide to elected officials, a guard against costly mistakes, and a kind of glue that holds us together despite our differences. While the mass media may help shape q=public opinion, they are also shaped by it.

Public opinion. Public opinion is the sum of a large number of individual opinions. Our basic views about politics are formed early in life through political socialization. Agents of socialization include family, schools, religion, friends, and the news media.

Opinion polling. Public opinion is best measured by scientific opinion polling. Accurate results depend on surveying a random but representative sample of the target population.

Mass media. Americans today receive information from print, broadcast, and electronic media. The news media serves as government watchdogs, agenda setters, and forums for an exchange of views.

Political campaigns. Politicians depend on both the free and paid media to reach voters during campaigns. Image seems as important as issues in both campaign advertising and media coverage of candidates.

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