Deck 6: Public Opinion

Question 1

Writing more than one hundred years ago, James Bryce, a noted observer of U.S. politics, contended that __________ is (are) "the greatest source of power" in the United States.

A) public opinion
B) the media
C) Congress
D) the president
E) political parties

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Public opinion suggests that overall, Americans' commitment to the country and its core institutions is

A) weak.
B) strong.
C) in severe decline.
D) invisible.
E) undetectable.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What did we learn from the results of the  Harrisburg Pennsylvanian and Literary Digest polls?

A) that these were examples of scientific polling
B) that straw polls and biased samples can result in inaccurate polls
C) that most types of polling are highly accurate
D) that phone surveys are the only accurate polls
E) that newspaper surveys are the only accurate polls

Answer 3

B

Question 4

__________ is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs about certain issues or officials.

A) Political socialization
B) Public opinion
C) Partisanship
D) Elite opinion
E) Efficacy

Question 5

The __________ is the job performance evaluation for the president, Congress, or other public official or institution that is generated by public opinion polls and typically reported as a percentage.

A) party identification level
B) exit poll
C) likability score
D) approval rating
E) Nielsen rating

Question 6

What did George Gallup use to accurately predict the outcome of the 1936 election?

A) straw poll
B) push poll
C) candidate interviews
D) random sample
E) student survey

Question 7

In the 1800s, newspapers and other organizations used __________ to assess public opinion and predict election outcomes.

A) straw polls
B) focus groups
C) exit polls
D) random sampling
E) tracking polls

Question 8

Political trust has __________ over the past fifty years.

A) increased
B) stayed the same
C) decreased
D) increased only in election years
E) decreased only in election years

Question 9

How do President Barack Obama's approval ratings compare to President George W. Bush's approval ratings?

A) They have been more stable.
B) They have been more volatile.
C) They have been nearly identical.
D) They have always been higher.
E) They have always been lower.

Question 10

The key to a _________ sample is that it is random.

A) representative
B) casual
C) replicable
D) weighted
E) biased

Question 11

After the so-called "honeymoon" period, presidents normally see their popularity

A) rise.
B) fall.
C) remain consistent.
D) plummet to near zero.
E) skyrocket.

Question 12

__________ is a method of selection that gives everyone who might be selected to participate in a poll an equal chance to be included.

A) Telephone sampling
B) Random sampling
C) Chance sampling
D) Straw polling
E) Man-on-the-street

Question 13

Prior to the creation of scientific polling in the 1930s, politicians relied on conversations with political observers and the content of newspapers, letters and petitions to gauge public sentiment. These were really a form of

A) elite opinion.
B) uneducated opinion.
C) scientific polling.
D) public opinion.
E) random sampling.

Question 14

__________ is the extent to which people believe their actions affect the course of government.

A) Efficacy
B) Public opinion
C) Public trust
D) Legitimacy
E) Approval rating

Question 15

Surveys of public opinion, or __________, are the most reliable indicator of what the public is thinking, and an entire industry and science have grown up around measuring opinion on everything from presidents to toothpaste.

A) questionnaires
B) interrogatories
C) polls
D) testimonials
E) all of the above

Question 16

The typical size of a national sample survey is __________ people.

A) 50
B) 100
C) 1,000
D) 10,000
E) 100,000

Question 17

__________ is the extent to which people believe the government acts in their best interests.

A) Efficacy
B) Public opinion
C) Political trust
D) Legitimacy
E) Approval rating

Question 18

In the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln expressed the idea that democratic government must be responsive to

A) corporate interests.
B) the will of the people.
C) broad economic interests.
D) the will of the legislature.
E) international interests.

Question 19

Which president has experienced both the highest and lowest approval ratings since the start of scientific polling?

A) President Barack Obama
B) President Lyndon B. Johnson
C) President George W. Bush
D) President Ronald Reagan
E) President John F. Kennedy

Question 20

The primary way that the electorate expresses its opinion is through

A) polls.
B) letters.
C) voting.
D) protests.
E) surveys.

Question 21

The statistical range, with a given probability, that takes random error into account is called the

A) random sample.
B) confidence interval.
C) hypothesis interval.
D) sampling error.
E) random error.

Question 22

Polls that survey a sample of voters immediately after exiting the voting booth are called

A) exit polls.
B) push polls.
C) straw polls.
D) random polls.
E) soft polls.

Question 23

A(n) __________ poll is designed to manipulate opinions by providing misleading information about a candidate or subject.

A) straw
B) tracking
C) exit
D) opinion
E) push

Question 24

In order for a sample to be representative, a population must have a(n) _________ chance of being asked to participate.

A) equal
B) better than half
C) less than half
D) unequal
E) absolute

Question 25

One of the ways that Millennials appear to be politically distinct from previous generations is that

A) they tend to identify mostly as Republican.
B) they tend to have a patient and long-term view.
C) they are more trusting in government.
D) they are less trusting in government.
E) they generally want to see government dissolve.

Question 26

Whether through family socialization or genes, parents have the biggest impact

A) during times of crisis in one's life.
B) during an individual's college years.
C) during a child's early life.
D) during an individual's teenage years.
E) during an adult's life.

Question 27

Effects on opinion from the era in which one lives are called __________ effects.

A) socioeconomic
B) generational
C) occupational
D) age
E) rational

Question 28

Leaders of public opinion are often called

A) the masses.
B) elites.
C) citizen journalists.
D) promoters.
E) conservatives.

Question 29

Our worldview about how we feel about work, family, and politics begins to crystallize between the ages of

A) 4 and 10.
B) 10 and 16.
C) 36 and 42.
D) 30 and 36.
E) 18 and 24.

Question 30

The psychological attachment that a person feels to a political party is called

A) socialization.
B) party identification.
C) manipulation.
D) party direction.
E) political efficacy.

Question 31

The reason that people tend to vote Republican as their income rises is due to the fact that most people act based upon

A) self-interest.
B) lack of empathy.
C) age-related values.
D) the best interests of society.
E) hard-earned wisdom.

Question 32

When individuals feel compelled to answer a polling question, even if they do not have opinions of knowledge, this often results in

A) accurate results.
B) nonattitude bias.
C) straw polling.
D) scientific sampling.
E) push polling.

Question 33

The most famous and consequential exit poll took place in Florida during the ________ presidential elections, fueling one of the most controversial electoral struggles of all time.

A) 1992
B) 2000
C) 2004
D) 2008
E) 2012

Question 34

During presidential elections, nightly polls gauge changes in voters' preferences for the major contenders. These surveys are called __________ polls.

A) straw
B) tracking
C) exit
D) partisan
E) push

Question 35

A set of coherent beliefs that offers a philosophy for thinking about the scope of government is referred to as

A) political ideology.
B) socialization.
C) political polarization.
D) self-interest.
E) political brinkmanship.

Question 36

Which of the following  describes a significant issue with Internet polling?

A) Not enough people use the Internet.
B) Too many people use the Internet.
C) It is too slow.
D) Older and poor Americans lack access to computers.
E) It is expensive.

Question 37

The clearest embodiment of political socialization is

A) partisanship.
B) career choice.
C) degree of efficacy experienced.
D) state you choose to live in.
E) interest in the political process.

Question 38

Elites' ability to change public opinion is a product of

A) the ultimate truth of the message.
B) the intensity and consistency of the message.
C) the evidence that the general public does not care.
D) the general public ability to  embrace change.
E) the superior intellect of elites.

Question 39

Partisanship is most likely determined by

A) socialization through one's parents.
B) brainwashing by society.
C) religious beliefs and behaviors.
D) the behavior of your peers.
E) socialization through the media.

Question 40

Bias in a poll, particular regarding a controversial topic such as abortion, can result from

A) random sampling.
B) high confidence intervals.
C) scientific polling.
D) question wording.
E) exit polling.

Question 41

Describe how politicians measured public opinion before there were polls.

Question 42

What is the suggested importance of education regarding public opinion and public policy?

A) Individuals with a low level of education generally are uninterested and unaffected by economic policy issues.
B) Individuals with a low level of education generally are not impacted by social policy issues..
C) Individuals with a high level of education generally take a more conservative position on economic issues.
D) Individuals with a high level of education generally take a more liberal position on social and economic issues.
E) Individuals with a high level of education generally take a more conservative position on social issues.

Question 43

State the reasons public opinion has a powerful impact on the presidency.

Question 44

According to political scientists, when it comes to American voters, about ________ know which party controls Congress and only ________ know the name of the Speaker of the House.

A) half; 40 percent
B) half; 10 percent
C) three-fourths; 50 percent
D) three-fourths; 25 percent
E) one-fourth; 1 percent

Question 45

Individuals often rely on cues and instincts to make decisions, rather than on an analysis of detailed information. Scholars have termed such thinking as

A) self-interest rationalization.
B) low attention span.
C) high attention syndrome.
D) low information rationality.
E) high information rationality.

Question 46

A condition in which differences between parties and/or the public are so stark that disagreement breaks out, fueling attacks and controversy, is known as

A) partisanship.
B) socialization.
C) brinkmanship.
D) compromise.
E) polarization.

Question 47

Since 1980, how have women generally behaved differently from men in presidential election voting?

A) Women have turned out at substantially higher rates than men.
B) Women have turned out at substantially lower rates than men.
C) Women have been more supportive of Republican candidates than have men.
D) Women have been more supportive of Democratic candidates than have men.
E) Women are more likely to split their tickets when Democrats are the incumbents.

Question 48

Which of the following is true when it comes to Latino voters in the United States?

A) Latinos have no political capital among policymakers.
B) Opinions among Latinos tends to be divided on many topics.
C) Neither political party looks for support from the Latino community.
D) Latinos tend to support liberal policy positions.
E) Latinos tend to support conservative policy positions.

Question 49

The measurement of how ideologically coherent individuals are in their political evaluation is called

A) levels of conceptualization.
B) self-interest.
C) the Likert scale.
D) socialization.
E) social prompting.

Question 50

In 1940, about one in fifteen Americans had college degrees,  but by 2015 more than __________ had graduated college.

A) one in two
B) one in three
C) one in seven
D) one in nine
E) one in ten

Question 51

So-called Reagan Democrats are individuals who support

A) a decreased role for government welfare-based programs.
B) increased tax breaks for the top 10 percent of wage earners.
C) an increased role for government-based welfare programs.
D) a liberal social agenda.
E) an decreased role for government interference in social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.

Question 52

There is some evidence that people tend to become ________ as they age.

A) less concerned about social issues
B) less concerned about economic issues
C) more conservative
D) less conservative
E) politically neutral

Question 53

Define public opinion .

Question 54

Which of the following statements is true pertaining to the relationship between policy mood and elections?

A) Policy mood is like a pendulum, and does not appear to last for long periods.
B) Policy mood became more conservative following the election of every Republican president.
C) Policy mood became more liberal following the election of every Democratic president.
D) Policy mood has been stable for the past two decades.
E) Policy mood has been trending liberal since the Watergate scandal.

Question 55

President Gerald Ford not knowing how to eat a tamale and Governor Mitt Romney talking about his wife's Cadillacs hurt both candidates in connecting with voters, and are examples of how voters applied

A) low information rationality.
B) high information rationality.
C) party identification.
D) elite influence.
E) party polarization.

Question 56

In 2009, Senator Arlen Specter

A) left the Republican Party and became a Democrat.
B) left the Democratic Party and became a Republican.
C) left the Democratic Party and became an Independent.
D) retired from the Senate.
E) became Senate majority leader.

Question 57

Policies that grant racial or gender preferences in hiring, education, or contracting are called __________ programs.

A) racial profiling
B) faith-based
C) affirmative action
D) reverse discrimination
E) discrimination avoidance

Question 58

__________ is a combined measure of occupation, education, income, wealth, and relative social standing or lifestyle.

A) Socialization
B) Level of conceptualization
C) Polarization
D) Socioeconomic status
E) Ideology

Question 59

Which of the following is most accurate in terms of how well informed people are about politics?

A) Individuals are well informed, but collectively, they usually make unreasonable choices.
B) Individuals are not well informed, but collectively, they make reasonable choices.
C) Individuals are unusually well informed, and collectively, they make reasonable choices.
D) Individuals are not well informed, and collectively, they avoid making choices.
E) Individuals continue to become better informed, but collectively, they avoid making choices.

Question 60

The fact that older, less-educated citizens die, and the average level of education of the American public has thus increased is an example of

A) brain drain.
B) generational replacement.
C) affirmative action.
D) low information rationality.
E) polarization.

Question 61

Explain how socioeconomic status might influence a person's view.

Question 62

What is a push poll? When is it used?

Question 63

How polarized is the public? How polarized is Congress?

Question 64

Explain how the electorate expresses its opinions and holds elected officials accountable.

Question 65

Regarding public opinion, what is meant by the gender gap?

Question 66

What are generational effects, and why are they important?

Question 67

What affects presidential approval? How do high approval ratings help presidents?

Question 68

Explain how partisanship relates to public opinion.

Question 69

Explain how modern polling can provide a fairly precise reading of public opinion.

Question 70

How does partisanship affect presidential approval? Can you provide an example?

Question 71

Discuss how assessing public opinion has changed since the 1930s.

Question 72

Why are the concepts of efficacy and political trust important?

Question 73

Describe some potential errors in polls.

Question 74

Differentiate among different types of polls, comparing and contrasting each type. Under what conditions is each type used?

Question 75

Why is a random sample important in polling?

Question 76

How does religion affect views on issues like abortion or same-sex marriage?

Question 77

Define scientific polling .

Question 78

How do individuals form their political opinions?

Question 79

Today, what does a decline in efficacy and public trust mean for democracy in the United States?

Question 80

Discuss the use of exit polls during recent presidential elections, including the 2000 presidential race.