CHAPTER 7

Public Opinion
0OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this chapter is to explore what we mean by public opinion and to ask what sort of effects public opinion has on Americas purportedly democratic form of government. After reading and reviewing the material in this chapter, the student should be able to do each of the following:0 0. !xplain the role of public opinion in the American democratic system "0. #iscuss the basic elements of polling and explain how polling reflects the attitudes of people generally $0. #iscuss the role of the family in the political sociali%ation of todays youth &0. !xplain why there are crosscutting cleavages between liberals and conservatives in this country' assess the significance of social class, race and ethnicity, and geographic region in explaining political attitudes (0. #efine political ideology, and describe the ideological differences between the average public and the political elites.

0OVERVIEW
)t is difficult to speak of *public opinion+ in the ,nited -tates. This is partly because there are many publics, with many different opinions. )t is also partly because opinion on all but relatively simple matters tends to be uninformed, unstable, and sensitive to different ways of asking poll .uestions. The chief sources of political opinion are the family, religion, information media, and schooling. /nce occupation 0or income1 was a central determinant of opinion, but with the spread of higher education, the connection between occupational status 0or income1 and opinion is no longer .uite so close. Today, greater cleavages in opinion are related to social class 0in which schooling is an important component1 and region. 2olitical ideology guides political opinion, but measuring ideology is often difficult. Typically, Americans do not use ideological terminology when reporting or discussing their political opinions, and most survey instruments are incapable of fully measuring the relationship between ideology and political opinion. 3urthermore, survey participants are often reluctant to share their ideological opinions if they perceive those opinions to be socially or morally unacceptable. 2olitical elites are much more likely to display a consistent ideology, whether liberal or conservative. !lites are important because they have a disproportionate influence on public policy. They also influence mass opinion through the dissemination of information and the evocation of political norms.

0CHAPTER OUTLINE WITH KEYED-IN RESOURCES0

)0. 2ublic opinion and democracy A0. -hould government leaders do what the people want4 50. 6easons for discrepancies between public opinion and government policies

Chapter 7: Public Opinion

0. 7onstitutional structure limits influence of public opinion: a01 2urpose of government is not to do what the people want' purpose is found in the six items mentioned in the 2reamble to the 7onstitution b01 8overnment structure contains several checks on public opinion: representative government, federalism, separation of powers, and independent 9udiciary. "0. #iscerning public opinion is difficult. ))0. :hat is public opinion4 0#efinition: ;ow people think or feel about particular things1 A0. 2eople do not spend a great deal of time thinking about politics' results:0 0. ;igh levels of public ignorance: for example, <onetary 7ontrol 5ill ruse "0. #espite being poorly informed, citi%ens are .uite good at using cues 0limited information1 to figure out which candidates and positions reflect their values or interests. $0. 2ublic opinion less fickle than previously thought 50. ;ow polling works 0T;!<! A: 2,5=)7 /2)>)/> 2/==)>810 0. >eed to pose reasonable .uestions that are worded fairly "0. ;ave to ask people about things for which they have some basis to form an opinion $0. 6andom sampling is necessary to ensure a reasonably accurate measure of how the entire population thinks or feels. &0. -ampling error reflects the difference between the results of two surveys or samples. (0. !xit polls?interviews with randomly selected voters conducted at polling places on !lection #ay?have proven .uite accurate. @0. 2olling techni.ues a01 3or populations over (00,000, pollsters need to make about (,000 phone calls to reach ,0@( respondents, ensuring the poll has a sampling error of only ABC $ percent. b01 2olling firms can economi%e by using smaller than ideal samples but this reduces the reliability of the poll. c01 =ow response rates harm reliability. 70. ;ow opinions differ 0. /pinion saliency: some people care more about certain issues than other people do. "0. /pinion stability: the steadiness or volatility of opinion on an issue $0. /pinionDpolicy congruence: the level of correspondence between government action and ma9ority sentiment on an issue &0. 2olitical sociali%ation: the process by which personal and other background traits influence ones views about politics and government a01 7hildren tend to share parents political orientations. b01 /pinion seems to vary in ways associated with class, race, religion, gender, and other characteristics. c01 5ut people with similar family histories, religious affiliations, formal educations, and 9ob experiences do not think or vote exactly the same way. (0. <ass and elite opinions differ a01 !lites know more about politics. b01 !lites are more likely to hold a consistent set of opinions about the policies government ought to pursue.0 )))0. 2olitical sociali%ation' the family 0 A0. The role of family0 0. <a9ority of high school students know and support the party affiliation of their parents. ". 8enetic background explains much of our political ideology.

Chapter 7: Public Opinion

a. -tudies of identical versus fraternal twins show that identical twins 0who share same genetic makeup1 are more likely to hold the same political views than fraternal twins 0who share oneDhalf of the same genetic makeup1. b. /neDthird of differences about political beliefs come from genetic sources. /nly oneDtenth of these differences come from family influence. $. &. although genetics can explain only oneDhalf of our political beliefs, the remaining half is affected by our life experiences, friendships, and education. ;owever, genetics does not explain party preference, which is still heavily influenced by the political affiliation of our parents.

(0. )n recent years, fewer people identify with a political party, so partisan preference is more difficult to pass along to children. a1 AgeDrelated differences also appear in opinions on several issues, such as gay marriage, womens rights, government vouchers for education, and investment of -ocial -ecurity contributions in stock market accounts. <ost of todays eighteenD to twentyDfourDyearDolds believe that politics has become too partisan, but most believe that getting involved in politics is honorable. 0 @. Eounger voters typically exhibit less partisanship' they are more likely to be independent.

F. 7lear political ideologies are passed on in only a few families. 50. 6eligion0 0. <ost Americans remain somewhat or deeply religious but .uestion religions role in politics. "0. #ifferences between religions are .uite complicated, and vary with particular issues. a01 6eligious influences on public opinion are pronounced, with respect to social issues like abortion or gay rights. b01 /pinions about politics vary not only across but also within religious traditions. 70. The gender gap0 0. 8ender gap is the difference in political views between men and women. "0. #ifferences in voting behavior between men and women: 0 a01 3rom G"0 to GH0, fewer women voted than men' since GH0, women have voted at somewhat higher rates than men. b01 :omen are a larger proportion of the votingDage population. c01 :omen are more likely to support #emocratic candidates. 0 10 5etween GH0 and "00H, women were more likely to support #emocratic presidential candidates. 0"1 0The #emocratic 2arty places greater emphasis on issues that women believe matter most. )I0. 7leavages in public opinion 0T;!<! 5: 86/,2 7=!AIA8!-, 2/=)T)7A= ATT)T,#!-, A># 2/=)T)7A= )#!/=/8E10 A0. -ocial class: ill defined in ,nited -tates, though recogni%ed in specific cases 0for example, truck drivers and investment bankers1 0. -ocial class less important in ,nited -tates than in !urope' extent of cleavage has declined in both places. "0. 7lass differences on political views and voting patterns narrowed considerably during the G&0s, G(0s, and G@0s. $0. 7lass differences that remain: unskilled workers are more likely to be #emocrats than affluent whiteDcollar workers.0 &0. 0>oneconomic issues now define liberal and conservative.

Chapter 7: Public Opinion

(0. <oral, symbolic, and foreignDpolicy issues do not divide the rich and poor in the same way. 50. 6ace and ethnicity0 0. African Americans a01 /verwhelmingly #emocratic b01 Eounger blacks are slightly more likely to identify with 6epublicans and to support government school voucher programs. c01 7ontinuing differences between white and black attitudes on policy .uestions d01 Areas of agreement between whites and blacks on policy issues "0. =atinos and Asians a01 -cant public opinion information for =atinos and Asian Americans b01 =atinos tend to identify as #emocrats, though not as strongly as African Americans. c01 Asians are even more identified with the 6epublican party than are whites. d01 Asian opinion on issues of order more like Anglo opinion than like black or ;ispanic opinion. e01 =atinos are somewhat more liberal than Anglos or Asians, but less liberal than African Americans. f01 )mportant differences within Asian and ;ispanic groups. g01 5road areas of agreement between =atinos and nonD;ispanic whites 70. 6egion0 0. :hite southerners were once more conservative than other regions regarding aid to minorities, legali%ing mari9uana, school busing, and rights of the accused. "0. :hite southerners were similar to other regions regarding economic issues. $0. ;istorically, the -outh is more accommodating to business interests 0and less accommodating to organi%ed labor1 than the >orth. &0. -outherners now significantly less #emocratic than they were for most of the twentieth century. (. >o #emocratic presidential candidate has won a ma9ority of white -outhern votes since =yndon Johnson did so in G@&. )n "00H, 5arack /bama won with oneDhalf the white vote nationally while only receiving $0 percent of the white vote in the -outh. I0. 2olitical ideology 0 A0. #efinition: A more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue 50. <easuring ideology 0. <easured in two different ways: a01 -eeing how fre.uently people use broad political categories to describe or 9ustify their own views and preferences b01 -eeing to what extent a citi%ens policy preferences are consistent over time or are based on consistent principles "0. -elfDidentification survey averages do not yield much information about ideology. a01 <ost Americans do not think about politics in an ideological manner. b01 =imitations of polling make it difficult to uncover ideological preferences. c01 -ome people are reluctant to reveal socially or morally unacceptable positions. 70. <ass ideologies 0. 2ollsters use survey data to characteri%e ideology through the identification of key values. "0. 0*=iberals+ and *disadvantaged #emocrats+ represent oneDthird of registered voters and oneDfourth of the general public.

Chapter 7: Public Opinion

$0. 0Iarious combinations of conservatives and *6epublican enterprisers+ represent almost oneDhalf of registered voters and over &0 percent of the general public. &0. 0>early one in five Americans are cynical about or are indifferent to politics. #0. =iberal and 7onservative elites0 0. #efinition: those who have a disproportionate amount of some valued resource "0. !lites 0usually known as activists1 display greater ideological consistency0 a01 0They have more information and more interest in politics than most people, so they may see more relationships among the issues. b01 0Their peers reinforce this consistency. I)0. 2olitical elites, public opinion, and public policy0 A0. !lites influence public opinion in two ways:0 0. 6aise and frame political issues "0. -tate norms by which to settle issues and define policy options 50. =imits to elite influence on the public0 0. !lites do not define economic, crime, and other problems that are rooted in personal experience. "0. !lites contradict and disagree with each other, limiting their influence.

0000 WEB RESOURCES

American >ational !lection -tudies: www.electionstudies.org The 8allup /rgani%ation: www.gallup.com 2ublic Agenda /nline: www.publicagenda.org 6oper 7enter for 2ublic /pinion 6esearch: www.ropercenter.uconn.edu 6eal7lear2olitics?2olls: www.realclearpolitics.comBpolls

0I!PORTANT TER!S
elite exit polls gender gap norm political elite political ideology political socialization poll public opinion random sample sampling error 2eople with a disproportionate amount of some valued resource 2olls based on interviews conducted on !lection #ay with randomly selected voters #ifference in political views between men and women A standard of right or proper conduct 2ersons with a disproportionate share of political power A more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue 2rocess by which background traits influence ones political views A survey of public opinion ;ow people think or feel about particular things <ethod of selecting from a population in which each person has an e.ual chance of being selected The difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time

Chapter 7: Public Opinion