Which of the following is true about public opinion?
People's opinions can be contradictory and most Americans know very little about public affairs
The first English-speaking philosopher to write at length about public opinion was
Jeremy Bentham
The accuracy of a poll is expressed in terms of _____, the degree to which the sample estimates might differ from what the population actually thinks.
sampling error
The Gallup organization has erred badly only once in predicting the outcomes of presidential elections, and that was in the _____ election.
1948
Compared to families of other nations, those in the United States are
more likely to interact in a way that promotes children's sense of individualism and equality
_____ oppose governmental activism in both the economic and social realms.
Libertarians
In which of the following states would one expect to find the highest concentration of political conservatives?
Louisiana
Which of the following statements is true?
Republicans are more likely to oppose social welfare programs than Democrats are.
About _____ percent of Americans participate each year in a mass demonstration.
1
When it comes to overt displays of patriotism, such as the flying of national flags and the recitation of the pledges of allegiance, Americans
exhibit their love for their country in ways that have few parallels elsewhere in the world.
A _____ would likely oppose major increases in health care spending by government and support government-required prayer in the public schools.
conservative
Which of the following statements is true?
Economic class has less influence on public opinion in the United States than in Europe and region has declined as a basis of political opinion in the U.S.
To assess public opinion, political observers today rely primarily on
Polls
Increasing reliance on the use of _____ has raised questions about the future of telephone polling.
Cell phones
Which of the following statements is true?
Elderly Americans vote at high levels and are well-organized compared to young Americans.
Which of the following is not an agent of socialization?
interest groups
Which of the following is a device for gauging public opinion?
E)All these answers are correct.
A)letters to the editor
B)e-mail messages to elected officials
C)size of crowds at demonstrations
D)activity of lobbyists
E)All these answers are correct.
The population of the United States is about
300 million.
Pollsters use _____ to randomly pick telephone numbers.
computers
Which of the following statements is true?
E)All these answers are correct
A)Europeans know more about international affairs than Americans.
B)A survey of Ivy-League students revealed that half could not name both U.S. senators from their state.
C)A survey of Ivy-League students revealed that 75 percent could not identify Abraham Lincoln as the author of the phrase "a government of the people, by the people, and for the people."
D)Both of these are true: Europeans know more about international affairs than Americans; and a survey of Ivy-League students revealed that half couldnot name both U.S. senators from their state.
E)All these answers are correct
Rather than having one stable, uniform public opinion that public policymakers can tap for reinforcement, America is described as a nation of many publics.
True
The larger the sample, the smaller the sampling error.
True
Political socialization refers only to the learning that takes place during childhood years.
False
More women favor affirmative action than men.
True
"Party identification" refers to a person's vote, Republican or Democrat, in the most recent election.
False
Scholars have concluded that only a minority of citizens readily understand and apply an ideological frame of reference to political issues.
True
In a democracy, elections are the only reliable indicator of public opinion on issues.
False
A person who professes beliefs in economic individualism and traditional social values is known as a conservative.
True
Party loyalties can be altered by changes in social and economic conditions.
True
Public opinion in America tends to constrain rather than direct the policy choices of officials.
