POLI 2051 Lecture : Lecture Ch5a
Document Summary
Definition: the collected attitudes of citizens on a. It"s a nation of the people and if the government given issue or question. Used to be about matters that were politically relevant, but nowadays it"s about almost anything. Why does it matter? ignores the public in every single way, then we don"t have a democracy what the public thinks and what the government does. The nature of that link can vary greatly (at first it was weak, only white men w/ property could vote, now everyone can vote for more offices and for more direct things, so the link is stronger). Without the link, we don"t have a democracy. In a democracy, there must be some link between. There is also the question of whether the public is capable of governing. Are ignorant of much that goes on politically. Rely heavily on cues and shortcuts rather than informed issue positions.
