Deck 6: Political Socialization and Public Opinion

Question 1

Out of the following groups, which youth cohort is the most politically engaged?

A) whites
B) African Americans
C) Native Americans
D) Latinos
E) Asian Americans

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The increased priority among average Americans for health care reform demonstrates the prominent role that the ________ plays in shaping Americans' views.

A) speaker of the House
B) House majority leader
C) House minority leader
D) president
E) vice president

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The process by which individuals acquire their opinions is called

A) popular culture.
B) social communication.
C) socioeconomic change.
D) political socialization.
E) political assimilation.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which recent president's election had the smallest gender gap, with woman voters only favoring him by 4 percent over his opponent?

A) Ronald Reagan
B) George Bush
C) Bill Clinton
D) George W. Bush
E) Barack Obama

Question 5

Whites, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans hold ________ political views.

A) identical
B) very similar
C) somewhat similar
D) different
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 6

Which factors have social scientists argued exert the strongest influence on political socialization?

A) family and school
B) family and the media
C) school and the media
D) school and civic participation
E) civic participation and the media

Question 7

Out of the following groups, which youth cohort is more likely to be involved in community activities?

A) whites
B) African Americans
C) Native Americans
D) Latinos
E) Asian Americans

Question 8

When are children in the United States first exposed to socialization by being encouraged to believe in democracy and express patriotism?

A) preschool and daycare
B) kindergarten
C) elementary school
D) middle school
E) high school

Question 9

Which presidential election first revealed the existence of the gender gap?

A) 1968
B) 1976
C) 1980
D) 1984
E) 1992

Question 10

Since 1956, the first- through twelfth-grade Weekly Reader student poll has correctly predicted the outcome of every presidential election. What is the best explanation for this?

A) Children mimic that behavior of their parents.
B) The media have a strong influence on children.
C) Stratified sampling is used.
D) It is a highly effective random sample.
E) Children are likely to vote like the majority of their community, therefore making the poll an accurate predictor.

Question 11

Women are more likely to vote than men in every age group EXCEPT

A) those under 25.
B) those aged 25-34.
C) those aged 35-44.
D) those aged 45-54.
E) those over 55.

Question 12

Sixty percent of all ________ are registered Democrats.

A) whites
B) African Americans
C) Native Americans
D) Latinos
E) Asian Americans

Question 13

Which youth cohort, out of the following groups, is LEAST likely to have engaged in political protests?

A) whites
B) African Americans
C) Native Americans
D) Latinos
E) Asian Americans

Question 14

Studies indicate that children whose parents participate in civic life are ________ to do so themselves.

A) much more likely
B) more likely
C) less likely
D) much less likely
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 15

Which youth cohort, out of the following groups, is the most likely to have engaged in political protests?

A) whites
B) African Americans
C) Native Americans
D) Latinos
E) Asian Americans

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a way in which the media contributes to political socialization of Americans?

A) The media aid in shaping societal norms.
B) The media help determine the national agenda.
C) The media educate the public about policy issues.
D) The media play a stronger role than any other agent of socialization.
E) The media can skew people's perception of public policy priorities.

Question 17

No matter how religious they are, ________ are likely to identify themselves as Democrats.

A) white Americans
B) African Americans
C) Asian Americans
D) Hispanic Americans
E) Native Americans

Question 18

Public polls and voting behavior indicate that men and women have ________ views on many issues.

A) largely identical
B) very similar
C) somewhat similar
D) somewhat different
E) very different

Question 19

As compared to men, women are more likely to be attracted to all of these forms of activism EXCEPT

A) volunteering.
B) running, walking, and biking.
C) charity fund-raising activities.
D) neighborhood and community mediation.
E) voting and political activism.

Question 20

Among white voters, a large proportion of highly religious people are

A) Republican.
B) Democrat.
C) Independent.
D) inactive in politics.
E) more likely to switch back and forth between parties.

Question 21

Which regions tend to favor the Republicans?

A) the West and most major cities
B) the West Coast and the South
C) the South and most major cities
D) the Midwest and the Northeast
E) the South, the West, and the Midwest

Question 22

Which region has the largest Catholic and Jewish populations compared to other regions in the United States?

A) the West
B) the West Coast
C) the South
D) the Midwest
E) the Northeast

Question 23

Which regions tend to favor the Democrats?

A) the Northeast and the Midwest
B) the West Coast and the South
C) the South and the West Coast
D) most major cities and the West
E) the Northeast, the West Coast, and most major cities

Question 24

On the issue of ________, men's and women's opinions differ very little.

A) gun ownership
B) abortion
C) government activism
D) gender equality
E) women's rights

Question 25

Which presidential election destroyed the credibility of the Literary Digest poll?

A) 1924 election
B) 1928 election
C) 1932 election
D) 1936 election
E) 1940 election

Question 26

Which of the following are examples of manifestations of popular opinion?

A) public demonstrations
B) looting and destruction of public property
C) writing letters to the editor in local newspapers
D) writing to congressmen and other federal officials
E) public demonstrations; writing letters to the editor in local newspapers; and writing to congressmen and other federal officials

Question 27

Generational effects tend to be felt most strongly by which group?

A) old people
B) women
C) young people
D) men
E) Latinos

Question 28

Which region is the most Protestant compared to other regions in the United States?

A) the West
B) the West Coast
C) the South
D) the Midwest
E) the Northeast

Question 29

Which was the only presidential election in which the Gallup poll erred badly?

A) 1928 Hoover-Smith
B) 1936 Roosevelt-Landon
C) 1948 Truman-Dewey
D) 1964 Johnson-Goldwater
E) 2000 Bush-Gore

Question 30

Which region has the largest population of those without a religious affiliation, compared to other regions in the United States?

A) the West
B) the major cities
C) the South
D) the Midwest
E) the Northeast

Question 31

Which of the following statements about public opinion is NOT true?

A) Public opinion is itself a socializing agent.
B) Public opinion is measured through the act of voting.
C) Public opinion is used to craft policies to help politicians gain reelection.
D) Public opinion is newly important to American politics.
E) Public opinion is manifested in many ways.

Question 32

Men are about ________ more likely to favor the death penalty than women.

A) 5 percent
B) 10 percent
C) 15 percent
D) 20 percent
E) 25 percent

Question 33

What is the first thing someone who is conducting a poll needs to do?

A) construct unbiased questions
B) determine a target population
C) select a sample
D) pick a survey measurement instrument
E) group participants by ideology

Question 34

Who founded the American Institute of Public Opinion in 1935?

A) Alf Landon
B) Herbert Asher
C) Walter Lippmann
D) George Gallup
E) Thomas E. Dewey

Question 35

Pollsters that structure a sample so that it is representative of the characteristics of a target population are using what type of sampling?

A) random sampling
B) quota sampling
C) stratified sampling
D) qualitative sampling
E) quantitative sampling

Question 36

Public opinion and ________ are inextricably linked because the latter is the prism through which people view all political issues.

A) tradition
B) ideology
C) religion
D) family dynamics
E) personal belief

Question 37

Which of the following best describes a straw poll?

A) representative
B) unscientific
C) credible
D) random
E) stratified

Question 38

Among the important regional differences in political outlook in the United States is that between

A) the Northeast and the South.
B) the Northeast and the West.
C) the Midwest and the West.
D) the South and the Midwest.
E) the South and the West.

Question 39

Which of these events is a strong example of the generational effect on the oldest Americans?

A) Great Depression
B) September 11, 2001
C) the Vietnam War
D) the Civil War
E) the Persian Gulf War

Question 40

Because it is impossible to measure everyone's opinions, pollsters frequently rely on

A) random sampling.
B) quota sampling.
C) stratified sampling.
D) qualitative sampling.
E) quantitative sampling.

Question 41

The recent decline in trust in the institution of the presidency is closely related to

A) anxiety over the direction of America's foreign policy.
B) concerns over whether the executive branch can be a force for positive change.
C) worries over government corruption and waste.
D) public approval of individual presidents.
E) public perceptions of America's economic health.

Question 42

Identify the types of information that can be derived from tracking polls, and which organizations or individuals employ them.

Question 43

A poll that measures changes in public opinion over time is known as a

A) straw poll.
B) Gallup poll.
C) tracking poll.
D) push poll.
E) exit poll.

Question 44

A poll of which type would be most likely to ask the following question? "If you found out that Representative Jones participated in several unsavory financial transactions, would it affect your vote"?

A) straw poll
B) Gallup poll
C) tracking poll
D) push poll
E) exit poll

Question 45

Since 2008, which of the following issues has been identified by respondents as the "most important problem" facing the country?

A) jobs
B) the housing market
C) the economy
D) foreign wars
E) the threat of terrorism

Question 46

Explain the role of the public opinion poll in American politics.

Question 47

________ are frequently sponsored by news organizations, who use them to help predict outcomes of presidential or other national races.

A) Straw polls
B) Gallup polls
C) Tracking polls
D) Push polls
E) Exit polls

Question 48

Outline how Americans have changed their responses to the "most important problem" question in public opinion polls between 2001 and 2010.

Question 49

Define the gender gap, and provide examples of its visibility on certain issues.

Question 50

Explain the relationship between peer groups, diversity, and norms and values.

Question 51

The key to a successful sample is to have a sample that

A) accurately reflects the population.
B) is exactly five percent of the population that is being polled.
C) is under 100 participants.
D) each participant is hand selected according to political views.
E) is polled only when it is ensured that they have enough time to answer the questions.

Question 52

Define quota sampling, and explain its uses.

Question 53

Most national polling organizations rarely poll more than ________ respondents.

A) 100
B) 150
C) 500
D) 1,000
E) 1,500

Question 54

A poll that provides campaigns with information on candidate strengths and weaknesses is a

A) straw poll.
B) Gallup poll.
C) tracking poll.
D) push poll.
E) exit poll.

Question 55

Which branch of the federal government consistently scores higher in levels of public trust than others?

A) federal bureaucracy
B) executive branch
C) judicial branch
D) legislative branch
E) Department of Justice

Question 56

Identify the two main influences of political socialization that we experience from early childhood.

Question 57

Identify the role geographic region plays in forming public opinion.

Question 58

For the purposes of stratified sampling, how many sampling regions are there in the United States?

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five
E) six

Question 59

Discuss the ways in which the media act as an agent of political socialization.

Question 60

Identify issues associated with Internet sampling techniques.