Public Opinion Review

Which of the following best describes an exit poll?

• A poll that asks voters at randomly selected voting places whom they voted for so that election results can be predicted more quickly

• A poll conducted by having a computer randomly select phone numbers from around the country

• An opinion poll that is used to intentionally sway people’s opinions by using false or misleading information in the conversation

• A poll that randomly samples a population to capture public opinion at a given time

Which of the following scenarios best reflects the process of political socialization?

• An individual takes a civics course in school and develops opinions about politics.

• Members of Congress increasingly vote the same way as other members of their party.

• A group is able to attract new members by offering access to a broad network of people.

• As media choices increase, individuals expand their media consumption to new sources.

In a public opinion poll, a polling company used an online survey tool to randomly contact respondents who did not have telephone lines in addition to contacting people over the phone. Which of the following best explains this decision?

• The company saved money because it did not need to hire as many telephone interviewers to conduct the poll.

• The company was establishing a benchmark poll at the beginning of a campaign.

• The company was interested in asking different questions to different individuals.

• The company wanted to ensure that the sample of the population was truly random.

In a public opinion poll of a representative sample of a population, 1200 people were asked to agree, disagree, or express neutrality toward the following statements.

Statement A: The government should spend more money on welfare.

Result: 35 percent of the respondents agreed.

Statement B: The government should spend more money on helping the poor.

Result: 60 percent of the respondents agreed.

Which of the following most likely accounts for the different results?

• The questions were not open-ended.

• There were no welfare recipients in the sample.

• The sample size was not large enough to be reliable.

• The questions contained a difference in wording.

A recent poll indicates that 60 percent of all people in the United States support a flat tax system. Which of the following supports the credibility of the poll result?

• The poll reported a sampling error.

• The poll was conducted online and open to anyone who wished to participate.

• The poll was administered to several thousand people who were stopped while shopping in malls across the country.

• Before the question was asked, respondents were told that a flat tax system is fairer than a progressive tax and will lead to economic growth.

What is the most important factor to getting a good poll that best resembles the target population?

• Random Sampling
• A large sample size
• A large sampling error
• Targeted Samples

Sum of many individual opinions, beliefs, or attitudes about a public person or issue

• Political Socialization

• Public Opinion

• Agents of Socialization

• Representative Sample

During an election and interviewers stand at the polling places on Election Day to ask voters how they voted, there is always the possibility the poll results will be wrong

• Random Sample

• Representative Sample

• Straw Poll

• Exit Poll

Consists of a group whose demographic distribution is similar to that of the overall population

• Random Sample

• Representative Sample

• Straw Poll

• Exit Poll

Consists of a limited number of people from the overall population, selected in such a way that each has an equal chance of being chosen

• Random Sample

• Representative Sample

• Straw Poll

• Exit Poll