GOV DQ Public Opinion

Why is public opinion so important to politicians?

• actually, all of these would be why public opinion is important to politicians

• representatives are responsible for representing the people's desires

• politicians use public opinion to get elected

• so they can respond to the public's desires

In order for scientific polling to be accurate, samples must:

• be taken at random

• be taken anonymously

• include everyone

• recorded by telephone

In the family, children acquire:

• attitudes that will probably change as they begin forming their own opinions

• specific viewpoints on public policy issues

• some basic attitudes that will most likely affect their future opinions

• formalized training that can make them good citizens

Mass media seems to affect politics the most by

• reporting the results of public opinion polls

• providing information on both parties

• providing in-depth coverage of national issues

• focusing people’s attention on certain issues

Which of the following would NOT be considered a factor that shapes public opinion?

• family

• schools

• weather

• mass media

How has the importance of the mass media influenced election politics?

• candidates have become more issue-oriented rather than image-oriented

• political image has become significantly more important

• candidates are now professional actors and actresses

Public opinion is BEST described as:

• Attitudes held by a significant number of people on government or politics.

• Shared attitudes of people about government officials.

• How most people feel about a particular event.

• Formal results of scientific polling

What is the best way to measure public opinion?

• public opinion polls

• power of interest groups

• election results

• attention of the mass media

Mass media is best described as:

• television and radio

• any form of communication that reaches a large audience

• any form of advertisement and propaganda

Campaign web sites, e-mail communication and social networking are all examples of:

• mass communication by candidates using the internet

• methods of voting

• ways to register to vote

• expressions of public opinion