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Presentation ProMagruder’sAmerican GovernmentCHAPTER 8Mass Media and Public Opinion 2001 by Prentice Hall, Inc.
CHAPTER 8Mass Media and Public OpinionSECTION 1The Formation of Public OpinionSECTION 2Measuring Public OpinionSECTION 3The Mass MediaGo ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8
SECTION 1The Formation of Public Opinion What is public opinion and why is it sodifficult to define? How do family and education shape publicopinion? What additional factors shape publicopinion?Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 1
What is Public Opinion?Public opinion can be described as thoseattitudes held by a significant number of peopleon matters of government and politics.Different Publics The United States is made up of many groups, or publics, whoshare common news.Public Affairs Public affairs are those events and issues that concern thepublic at large. In its proper sense, public opinion includes onlythose views that relate to public affairs.Public Opinions More than one public opinion can exist at the same time,because there are many publics. A view or position must beexpressed in the open in order to be a public opinion.Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 1
The Political SpectrumPeople who have similar opinions on political issues aregenerally grouped according to whether they are “left,”“right,” or “center” on the political spectrum.Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 1
Family and EducationMany factors influence our political opinions andpolitical socialization over the course of a lifetime.The Family Children first see the politicalworld from within the familyand through the family’seyes.The strong influence thefamily has on thedevelopment of politicalopinions is due to the largeamount of time childrenspend with the family.Go ToSection:1 2 3The Schools Children acquire politicalknowledge throughout theirtime in the classroom. Students are taught aboutpolitical systems, patriotism,and great Americans. Someare even required to take acourse on government in highschool.Chapter 8, Section 1
Other Factors Influencing Public OpinionMass MediaThe mass media include those means of communication that reach large,widely dispersed audiences (masses of people) simultaneously. The massmedia has a huge effect on the formation of public opinion.Peer GroupsPeer groups are made up of the people with whom one regularlyassociates, including friends, classmates, neighbors, and co-workers.Opinion LeadersAn opinion leader is any person who, for any reason, has an unusuallystrong influence on the views of others.Historic EventsHistoric events can have a major impact on public opinion. The GreatDepression is one event that shaped the political views and opinions of ageneration.Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 1
Section 1 Review1. Public opinion is difficult to define because(a) everyone shares the same views.(b) there are many groups and issues to account for.(c) no one is allowed to have opinions.(d) none of the above.2. The mass media consist of(a) friends and family.(b) neighbors.(c) newspapers, magazines, television, and the Internet.(d) peer groups.Want to connect to the Magruder’s link for this section? Click Here!Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 1
SECTION 2Measuring Public Opinion What are the challenges involved inmeasuring public opinion? Why are opinion polls the best measure ofpublic opinion? What are the five steps in the polling process? What are the challenges of evaluating polls? What are the limits on the impact of publicopinion in a democracy?Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 2
Measuring Public OpinionElections Candidates who win an election are said to have a mandate, or acommand from the electorate, to carry out campaign promises. Inreality, however, election results are seldom an accurate measure ofpublic opinion.Interest Groups Interest groups are private organizations whose members sharecertain views and work to shape public policy. Interest groups are achief means by which public opinion is made known.The Media The media are frequently described as “mirrors” as well as “molders”of opinion.Personal Contacts Public officials rely on frequent and wide-ranging contacts with theirconstituents, such as reading their mail, answering calls, andmeeting people in public.Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 2
Polls—The Best MeasurePublic opinion is best measured by publicopinion polls, devices that attempt to collectinformation by asking people questions.Straw Votes A straw vote is a method ofpolling that seeks to read thepublic’s mind simply by askingthe same question of a largenumber of people.The straw-vote technique ishighly unreliable, however.Go ToSection:1 2 3Scientific Polling Serious efforts to take thepublic’s pulse on a scientificbasis date from the 1930s. There are now more than1,000 national and regionalpolling organizations in thiscountry, with at least 200 ofthese polling politicalpreferences.Chapter 8, Section 2
The Polling ProcessDefining the Universe The universe is a term that means the whole population that the poll aims to measure.Constructing a Sample A sample is a representative slice of the total universe. Most professional pollstersdraw a random sample, also called a probability sample. A quota sample is one thatis deliberately constructed to reflect several of the major characteristics of a givenuniverse.Preparing Valid Questions The way in which questions are worded is very important. Wording can affect thereliability of any poll.Interviewing Pollsters communicate with the sample respondents using various methods includingperson-to-person interviews, telephone calls, and mail surveys.Reporting Pollsters use computers to store and manipulate data, which helps them analyze andreport the results of the poll.Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 2
Evaluating Polls and Their Limit on PublicOpinionEvaluating Polls On balance, most national andregional polls are fairly reliable.Still, they are far from perfect.Potential problems with pollsinclude their inability to measurethe intensity, stability, andrelevance of the opinions theyreport.Another potential problem is thatpolls and pollsters aresometimes said to shape theopinions they are supposed tomeasure.Go ToSection:1 2 3Limits on the Impact ofPublic Opinion Public opinion is the major, butby no means the only, influenceon public policy in this country. Much of the American politicalsystem is designed to protectminority interests against theexcesses of majority views andactions. Finally, polls are not elections,nor are they substitutes forelections.Chapter 8, Section 2
Section 2 Review1. A straw vote(a) correctly predicted the outcome of the 1936 election.(b) is a method of polling that asks a large amount of people the same question.(c) is a very reliable type of polling.(d) measures the opinion of only the rural community.2. To pollsters, the universe is(a) a private organization whose members share certain views and work to shapepublic policy.(b) all of outer space.(c) a probability sample.(d) the whole population that a poll aims to measure.Want to connect to the Magruder’s link for this section? Click Here!Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 2
SECTION 3The Mass Media How does the mass media fulfill its role toprovide the public with political information? How does the mass media influence politics? What are the factors that limit the influence ofthe media?Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 3
The Role of Mass MediaA medium is a means of communication; it transmits somekind of information. Four major mass media are particularlyimportant in American politics:TelevisionNewspapersPolitics and television have gone hand inhand since the technology firstappeared. Today television is theprinciple source of political informationfor a majority of Americans.The first newspapers carried mostlypolitical news. Even with the totalnumber of newspapers declining, theyare still the second leading source ofpolitical information for most Americans.RadioMagazinesOn average, Americans hear 20 hours ofradio each week. Radio has been asource of news and entertainment since1920.Go ToSection:1 2 3Some 12,000 magazines are publishedin the United States today. Severalmagazines are devoted to Americannews and politics.Chapter 8, Section 3
Media StatisticsAccess to media varies from country to country.Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 3
The Media and PoliticsElectoral PoliticsThe Public Agenda The media play a very largerole in shaping the publicagenda, the societalproblems that political leadersand citizens agree needgovernment attention.It is not correct that the mediatell the people what to think;but it is clear that they tell thepeople what to think about.Go ToSection:1 2 3 Today, television allowscandidates to appeal directlyto the people, without thehelp of a party organization. Candidates regularly try touse media coverage to theiradvantage. Newscasts featuringcandidates are usually short,sharply focused soundbites—snappy reports thatcan be aired in 30 to 45seconds.Chapter 8, Section 3
Limits on Media Influence Only a small part of the public actually takes in andunderstands much of what the media have to sayabout public affairs. Many media sources mostly skim the news,reporting only what their news editors judge to bethe most important and/or most interesting storiesof the day. In-depth coverage of public affairs is available tothose who want it and will seek it out.Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 3
Section 3 Review1. Which of the following are major media?(a) television(b) newspapers(c) magazines(d) all of the above2. According to the chart on international media usage found earlier inthis section, which media source is accessible to the mostAmericans?(a) newspapers(b) radio(c) television(d) none of the aboveWant to connect to the Magruder’s link for this section? Click Here!Go ToSection:1 2 3Chapter 8, Section 3
Magruder's American Government. C H A P T E R 8 Mass Media and Public Opinion. Go To . 1 2 3 Section: C H A P T E R 8. Mass Media and Public Opinion. SECTION 1. The Formation of Public Opinion. SECTION 2. Measuring Public Opinion. SECTION 3. The Mass Media. Chapter 8. Go To . 1 2 3 Section: Chapter 8, Section 1.
