Deck 6: Public Opinion and Political Socialization

Question 1

During which period is public opinion most likely to shift toward conservatism?

A) successful Republican governance
B) successful Democratic governance
C) poor Republican governance
D) poor Democratic governance
E) Both B and D.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Peer groups are most likely to influence political attitudes when

A) people are over the age of fifty.
B) it is not an election year.
C) people within peer groups do not have strong party identification.
D) they are actively involved in political activities.
E) their members are all of the same gender.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The process by which people acquire political beliefs and attitudes is called

A) opinion leadership.
B) political socialization.
C) agenda setting.
D) peer grouping.
E) consensus building.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Having a college education

A) no longer means that an individual is likely to vote for a particular party.
B) is associated with a greater tendency to vote Democratic.
C) is associated with a greater tendency to vote Republican.
D) is associated with opposition to cultural liberalism.
E) is associated with a greater tendency to abstain from voting.

Question 5

General agreement among the citizenry on an issue is

A) a consensus.
B) a divisive opinion.
C) a reconciliation.
D) a poll agreement.
E) no longer a public opinion.

Question 6

The generational effect refers to the

A) way in which political socialization produces opinions.
B) increased tension between the two major political parties.
C) tendency for persons to become more conservative as they grow older.
D) long-lasting impact of significant events of a particular time on the generation that came of age at that time.
E) way in which the family influences opinions.

Question 7

The principle that media should present controversial issues in an honest, equitable, and balanced way was known as

A) the Ideological Balance.
B) the Fairness Doctrine.
C) the Duality Doctrine.
D) the Fair Balance Doctrine.
E) None of the above.

Question 8

The transfer of political values

A) is more likely to occur from children to parents.
B) is more likely to occur from parents to children.
C) is just as likely to occur from children to parents as it is to occur from parents to children.
D) is exceptionally rare in families.
E) never occurs from children to parents.

Question 9

In recent years

A) businesspersons have moved toward supporting the Democrats.
B) professionals with advanced degrees have moved toward supporting the Democrats.
C) businesspersons have remained largely Democratic.
D) professionals with advanced degrees have remained largely Republican.
E) it has become clear that there is no relationship between whether a person is a businessperson or a professional and the party he or she will endorse.

Question 10

The new forms of media

A) have brought Americans closer to each other politically.
B) such as talk radio have been dominated by liberals.
C) like blogs have often changed people from liberals to conservatives.
D) like blogs, talk radio, and cable news channels have increased political polarization.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 11

Studies suggest that parents' political influence over their children is due to

A) the strong need of children for parental approval.
B) the ability of parents to communicate frequently with their children.
C) the ability of parents to communicate their feelings and preferences to their children.
D) family links to other factors that affect opinion, such as race, social class, education, and religious beliefs.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 12

In a recent study, high school students most often said they base their views on information they obtained from

A) mass media.
B) family.
C) peers.
D) school.
E) church.

Question 13

Here are the results of a 2012 opinion poll that measured public support for gay marriage: Favor: 48 percent; Oppose: 44 percent; Don't know/No answer: 8 percent. The results show an example of a __________ opinion.

A) consensus
B) divided
C) dubious
D) favorable
E) unified

Question 14

The process of political socialization often includes all of the following except

A) acquiring political values.
B) acquiring political beliefs.
C) identifying with a political party.
D) officially joining a political party.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 15

All of the following are true of public opinion except that it

A) plays a small role in U.S. political system.
B) can be expressed by letters written to newspapers.
C) is shared in online forums.
D) can be powerful.
E) can be shaped by political leaders.

Question 16

An opinion leader is

A) one who is able to influence the opinions of others because of position, expertise, or personality.
B) a pollster.
C) always someone whose job is to sway public opinion, such as a member of Congress.
D) a public relations expert.
E) someone who relies on position or expertise, rather than something like personality.

Question 17

The impact of new media (cable news, blogs, and talk radio) on political socialization has been

A) largely neutral, as the present balanced views in a moderate way.
B) to lure liberals to the right and conservatives to the left.
C) to further polarize the public by cementing and radicalizing their already conservative or liberal views.
D) to lure moderates and centrists to the conservative camp.
E) to lure moderates and centrists to the liberal camp.

Question 18

The distribution of public opinion on an issue can tell us how

A) divided the public is on that issue.
B) possible compromise is on that issue.
C) to fashion a consensus opinion on that issue.
D) Both A and B.
E) Both A and C.

Question 19

Public opinion in the United States tends to be more _____________ than political elites in areas such as religion in public schools, but more ______________ in areas such as Social Security spending.

A) conservative; liberal
B) liberal; conservative
C) secular; liberal
D) conservative; libertarian
E) libertarian; centrist

Question 20

Private opinion becomes public opinion when

A) it, regardless of its subject matter, is publicly expressed.
B) it concerns public issues and is publicly expressed.
C) an individual is polled by a major polling organization.
D) it is not divided.
E) it is articulated to at least ten other people.

Question 21

In the 2012 elections, the group of voters most strongly opposed to President Barack Obama was

A) those who identify as culturally southern.
B) the white working class.
C) the wealthy.
D) those who identify as socially liberal.
E) Both A and B.

Question 22

Usually, the Gallup or Roper polls interview

A) people three to four times to ensure accuracy.
B) about 1,500 people in a nationwide sample.
C) over 100,000 people in each random sample for presidential elections.
D) people who have been selected based on their intelligence.
E) using quota samples.

Question 23

Jewish voters tend to

A) vote for candidates who are politically conservative.
B) vote at a lower rate than Protestants.
C) focus almost totally on domestic issues.
D) be more liberal than average on economic and cultural issues.
E) be similar to the overall population in political preferences.

Question 24

Which of the following is an incorrect statement?

A) Overall, Hispanics have favored the Democrats.
B) Cuban Americans are more likely to support Republicans than Democrats.
C) Asian American groups have usually leaned to the Democrats.
D) Muslim Americans today represent one of the nation's most Democratic blocs.
E) Most African Americans have supported the Republican Party since the 1930s.

Question 25

Polls may be more accurate if the sample is

A) truly random.
B) weighted to correct missing data from underrepresented groups.
C) weighted to make up for day-to-day swings in public sentiment.
D) corrected for pollster bias.
E) Options A and B are true.

Question 26

Those who identify as libertarian tend to be concentrated

A) along the West coast.
B) along the East coast.
C) among the poor.
D) among the wealthy.
E) in the middle class.

Question 27

A random sample means that

A) every person in the target population has an equal chance of being selected.
B) there is no pre-planning in the selection process.
C) every person in the target population who is encountered is selected.
D) researchers decide how many persons of certain types they need in the survey.
E) the poll is unscientific.

Question 28

A major problem for Republicans coming out of the 2012 election was that

A) Barack Obama secured 75 percent of the Hispanic vote.
B) Hispanic voters sided with the Democratic Party for the first time ever.
C) they lacked a comprehensive immigration reform plan that would appeal to Hispanic voters.
D) Both A and C.
E) All of the above.

Question 29

American women are more likely to support

A) capital punishment.
B) restrictions on access to abortions.
C) social welfare programs.
D) military interventions abroad.
E) legislation restricting the rights of homosexuals.

Question 30

In presidential elections, manual laborers, factory workers, and union members are

A) more likely to vote for Republican candidates.
B) more likely to vote for Democratic candidates.
C) likely to split their vote between the two major parties.
D) more likely to vote for socialist candidates.
E) more likely to vote for communist libertarian candidates.

Question 31

If two polling firms asked identical questions of the same group of 1,000 people, yet reported different results, this difference would likely be caused by

A) failure to achieve a random sample.
B) sampling error.
C) the house effect.
D) push polling.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 32

African Americans today tend to be

A) more conservative than whites on all issues.
B) less liberal than whites on all issues.
C) supportive of the Republican Party.
D) somewhat conservative on certain cultural issues such as gay marriage and abortion.
E) independents and not supportive of either Republicans or Democrats.

Question 33

The idea of a gender gap is

A) the difference in voter turnout among men and women.
B) the long-standing history of women favoring Democrats over Republicans.
C) the long-standing history of women favoring Republicans over Democrats.
D) the tendency of women to be more libertarian than men.
E) the difference in the percentage of women voting for a certain candidate and the percentage of men doing the same.

Question 34

Those who __________ tend to be more conservative than those who do not, while ____________ tend to be still more conservative.

A) attend church weekly; Jewish voters
B) consider themselves fundamentalists; evangelicals
C) attend church weekly; fundamentalists
D) consider themselves Protestants; Catholics
E) None of the above.

Question 35

People's attitudes toward a candidate

A) are affected by emotions such as trust toward a candidate.
B) can be influenced by a recent political scandal.
C) can be affected by the candidate's personality or image.
D) can be influenced by the candidate's stance on economic issues.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 36

To accurately represent the target population, a small sample should be

A) randomly selected.
B) representative of the whole group.
C) representative in terms of demographic traits (age, region, religion, race, and the like).
D) representative in terms of opinions.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 37

The results of an opinion poll

A) are usually reported in terms of a specific number.
B) should be reported as a range of numbers to be more accurate.
C) are usually accompanied by a specific margin of error.
D) may be reported daily as a tracking poll.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 38

When Literary Digest incorrectly predicted the results of the 1936 election after polling only its own readers, its failure was because

A) its readers were asked to guess as to the outcome, rather than offering up their own opinions.
B) it had not obtained a random sample of the population.
C) its readers were generally wealthy, and not reflective of the population at large.
D) Both A and B.
E) Both B and C.

Question 39

From earning the right to vote in 1920 up through 1960, female voters

A) were almost universally opposed to social welfare programs.
B) were instrumental in supporting third-party presidential candidates.
C) tended to be more supportive of Democratic candidates than men were.
D) tended to be more supportive of Republican candidates than men were.
E) None of the above.

Question 40

In polling, the difference between the sample's results and those that would have been obtained had the entire population been interviewed is

A) a failure of randomness.
B) a sampling error.
C) unlikely to happen at all.
D) likely to be very large.
E) a statistical miscalculation.

Question 41

One of the problems with polls is

A) they may fail to measure the impact of undecided voters.
B) because they are a snapshot in time, polls may fail to detect last-minute shifts in the electorate.
C) they are based on a random sample.
D) the results are affected by the news media.
E) Options A and B are true.

Question 42

Respondents are given misleading information in the questions they are asked in order to persuade them to vote against a candidate in

A) convention polls.
B) publicity polls.
C) push polls.
D) scientific polls.
E) pundit polls.

Question 43

The degree to which individuals express trust in the government is called

A) partisan identification.
B) political trust.
C) universal suffrage.
D) public opinion.
E) political culture.

Question 44

The case Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. raises the question of whether

A) religiously affiliated businesses can be both for-profit and tax exempt.
B) religiously affiliated businesses can endorse political candidates for office.
C) non-religiously affiliated businesses can refuse to hire individuals with certain religious beliefs.
D) non-religiously affiliated businesses can be exempted from a law on religious grounds.
E) Both A and B.

Question 45

Public opinion supports

A) the general idea of paying more for education.
B) increasing the spending per student to more than the current $12,922 per year.
C) spending more on education across political parties.
D) the idea that U.S. public schools are doing a good job in educating our children.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 46

Which of the following presents major problems for polling?

A) the very high non-response rate to telephone polls
B) the pervasive use of cell phones, which are more difficult to include in polling
C) surveys with self-selecting respondents, which are reported as scientific polls
D) the use of the Internet to conduct polls
E) All of the above.

Question 47

The answers given by respondents to poll questions are influenced by all of the following except

A) the order in which questions are asked.
B) poorly designed questions that tip respondents in a particular direction.
C) a yes/no format that restricts the respondents' choices.
D) compensation offered to the respondents.
E) the possible range of answers to the questions presented.

Question 48

American political culture

A) can be described as a set of attitudes and ideas about the nation and government.
B) consists of symbols such as the American flag, the Liberty Bell, and the Statue of Liberty.
C) provides support for the political system.
D) All of the above are true.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 49

Since the early 1990s, the American people have consistently shown more confidence in _________ than any other institution.

A) public schools
B) organized labor
C) big business
D) the military
E) television news

Question 50

Public opinion polls

A) give exact guidance on how policymakers should act.
B) provide information that sets a limit on government actions.
C) over time, push policymakers to change their position on most issues.
D) are helpful to policymakers because they transmit the public's clear opinion on every issue.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 51

A favorable opinion of the United States among citizens of foreign countries has been hurt during the Obama administration by

A) the NSA hacking of world leaders' phones.
B) a belief that the United States orchestrated the Great Recession.
C) the use of drone strikes to target extremists.
D) Both A and C.
E) All of the above.

Question 52

The 2012 contraception insurance policy controversy can be described as a debate over whether

A) employers should cover contraception in insurance plans for employees.
B) religious organizations such as churches that oppose birth control should pay for such coverage.
C) institutions such as schools and hospitals must offer coverage for contraception.
D) Options A and C are true.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 53

Public opinion affects the political process

A) because it is a source of power for elected officials who take positions supported by the people.
B) despite the fact that most candidates dismiss public opinion as an effective means of identifying issues of concern.
C) because it allows the media to control the government.
D) because it is more important than elections in bringing about change in the government.
E) despite the fact that public opinion polls hardly ever reflect public opinion accurately.

Question 54

Push polls

A) have been determined to be illegal in twenty-three states.
B) are always conducted face to face rather than by telephone.
C) are so controversial that very few candidates have chosen to use them.
D) were used widely in the 1960s and 1970s, but when they became associated with the dirty politics of those eras, they were disregarded by most candidates.
E) are now used throughout all levels of U.S. politics-local, state, and federal.

Question 55

Public confidence in

A) the military has increased likely due to the military's role in the war on terrorism.
B) religion has decreased due to sex scandals.
C) Congress has increased due to the passage of healthcare reform.
D) Options A and B are true.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 56

The values that shape American political culture include all of the following except

A) freedom.
B) liberty.
C) equality.
D) property.
E) government control of the economy.

Question 57

Spending on public schools

A) has risen several times to an average of $12,500 per students.
B) is favored by a majority of those surveyed.
C) has been a point of contention between Republicans and Democrats.
D) has dipped recently due to budget issues.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 58

All of the following are true of public opinion polls except

A) poll results are not equally good or equally believable.
B) knowing what makes a poll accurate is not as important as the results of the poll.
C) polls based on scientific or random samples are the most valid.
D) polls that consist of shopping mall interviews may produce inaccurate results.
E) well-designed polls based on probability samples may result in 95 percent accuracy.

Question 59

Recent allegations of polling fraud have included

A) concerns about secret in-house weights being added to results.
B) concerns that results were fabricated.
C) concerns that reader surveys are being published as scientific polls.
D) Skype users flooding poll results with duplicate entries.
E) Options B and C are true.

Question 60

All of the following are true of public opinion and polls except

A) polls show that people give Congress a high rating.
B) in 2009 and 2010, polls showed that "most important problems" in the United States were the economy and unemployment.
C) public opinion can have an impact on government policies.
D) public opinion can put limits on what government does.
E) polls indicate that a majority of the public believe that public opinion should influence public policy.

Question 61

Describe the significance and possible origins of the gender gap.

Question 62

Discuss the ways in which public opinion shifts toward left/liberal or right/conservative positions, as a reaction to government itself.

Question 63

Explore the means by which political socialization occurs in the United States.

Question 64

Discuss the ways in which public opinion influences policymakers and the limits to this means of the public controlling government actions.

Question 65

Describe the ways in which social media on the Internet can be employed by candidates and political groups.

Question 66

Describe the concept of a generational effect and provide examples of its impact on public opinion.

Question 67

Explain how demographic influences shape voting behavior.

Question 68

When conducting a public opinion poll, what things must be taken into consideration and what potential problems could affect its accuracy?

Question 69

Discuss the process of political socialization in children, being sure to highlight the sources of socialization and the ways in which children might be a source of socialization for others.

Question 70

Which institutions in the United States hold American's trust and which do not? Explain the reasons why some institutions are held in high esteem and others are not.