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public opinion
the collective attitudes of beliefs of individuals on one or more issues
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public opinion polls
scientific efforts to estimate what an entire group thinks about an issue by asking a smaller sample of the group for its opinion
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political socialization
the process by which we learn our political orientations and allegiances
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spiral of silence
the process by whcih a majority opinin becomes exaggerated because minorities do not feel comfortable speaking out in opposition
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political generations
groups of citizens whose political views have been shaped by the common events of their youth
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gender gap
the tendency of men and women to differe in their political views on some issues
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marriage gap
the tendency for married people to hold political opinions that differ from those of people who have never married
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sample
the portion of the population that is selected to participate in a poll
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sample bias
the effect of having a sample that does not represent all segments of the population
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straw polls
polls that attempt to determine who is ahead in a political race
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sampling error
a number that indicates within what range the results of a poll are accurate
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random samples
sample chosen in such a way that any member of the population being polled has an equal chance of being selected
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weighting
adjustments to surveys during analysis so that selected demographic groups reflect their values in the population, usually as measured by the census
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benchmark poll
initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against in which later polls are compared
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tracking polls
ongoing series of surveys that follow changes in public opinion over time
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exit polls
election-related questions asked of voters right after they vote
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push polls
polls that ask for reactions to hypothetical, often false, information in order to manipulate public opinion
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rational ignorance
the state of being uninformed about politics because of the cost in time and energy
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on-line processing
the ability to receive and evaluate information as events happen, allowing us to remember our evaluation even if we have forgotten the specific events that cause it
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two-step flow of information
the process by which citizens take their political cues from more well-infoormed opinion leaders
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opinion leaders
people who know more about certain topics than we do and whose advice we trust, seek out, and follow
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