POLI SCI 220 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Sampling Error, Double Negative, Political Question

• School: Northwestern University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLI SCI 220
• Professor: Alvin Tillery

Document Summary

Fiorina new american democracy: public opinion chapter 5. Pu(cid:271)li(cid:272) opi(cid:374)io(cid:374): the agg(cid:396)egatio(cid:374) of people"s (cid:448)ie(cid:449)s a(cid:271)out issues, situatio(cid:374)s, a(cid:374)d pu(cid:271)li(cid:272) figu(cid:396)es. Highly educated people are especially tolerant of minority groups and practices. Answers to surveys can vary dramatically depending on how a question is asked since different question wording may confuse respondents (double negative in. Holocaust poll), prompt respondents to think about an issue in a certain way (cid:894)(cid:862)(cid:449)elfa(cid:396)e(cid:863) o(cid:396) (cid:862)assista(cid:374)(cid:272)e to the poo(cid:396)(cid:863)(cid:895), or oversimplify complex social issues (abortion is not just a yes/no question) Characteristics of public opinion: public opinion is uninformed. Most people have little time for politics. Information cost: time and mental effort required to absorb and store information, whether from conversations, personal experiences, or the media. Issue public: a group of people particularly affected by, or concerned with, a specific issue: many of the opinions expressed in polls are not strongly held.