PSCI 1050 CareyPrevious Lecture Outlineecture I. Immigration II.Common beliefs in American Culture III.Classical Liberalism IV.Reynolds vs US V.Islamic Center in Manhattan VI.Political culture of the USCurrent Lecture Outline I. Public Opinion II.Political Stabilization III.Measuring public opinion IV.Opinion Leaders V.Public Opinion is relatively stable VI.Evolution of free press VII.Media marketCurrent Lecture I. Public opinion: collective views that are central to democracy and have four elements A.Salience: importance of an issue B.Stability: the likeliness of opinion to stagnate C.Direction: against, for, etc. in regards to an opinion D.Intensity: how strongly the direction occurs II.Political Socialization: concept by which social situations affect political views A.Group attachments: your culture affects your views whether it be urban, etc. B.Peer relationships: family and friends affect views C.Personal experiences: upbringing affects views D.Education: schooling affects political views III.Measuring Public Opinion A.Surveys ask questions i. Open ended surveys allow elaboration but are less precise B.Tracking poll: conducted periodically over time C.Exit poll: personal interviews during election days to determine winner D.Push poll: spreads negative information about an opposing candidate E.Measurement error: dishonesty causes errors, question wording causes errors i. Ex: 22% believed that the Holocaust never occurred, but the wording wasresponsible. ii. Limited response options (yes or no to abortion), lack of information (asking about an obscure topic), and lack of intensity(indifference) all leadto error as well F. Sample: group chosen to represent populationPSCI 1050 Carey G.Population: group of interest H.Random sampling: sample in which every member has equal chance of selection I. Sampling Error: arises from sample i. Ex: Literary digest predicted FDR v ALf Landon wrong because it only asked literary Digest subscribers J. Margin of error: range of confidence of reliability of a response K.Non-response bias: error when participants have different attitudes than those that declined to participate IV.Opinion leaders: those that have a major influence on political attitudes V.Stability of public opinion is relatively stable A.Uninformed opinions are usually cancelled out by informed opinions B.Informed voters often agree more with each other, even with opposing views, that those that are uninformed VI.Evolution of free press A.Suppression through Alien and Sedition Acts, etc. B.Supreme Court established broader interpretation of free press (20th century) VII.Media market A.Largest media outlets are owned by private sector in US B.Govt. regulates number of news outlets that can be owned by a company i. Courts loosened restrictions C.Foreign press is controversial (Wikileaks) i. Many disagree with release of confidential
View Full Document
Unlocking...