Hank Chau

AP U.S Government
November 26, 2015
Gareth Manning
Chapter 6 Outline
Public Opinion and Political Socialization: Shaping the Peoples Voice
1. Public Opinion: Viewed as the politically relevant opinions held by ordinary citizens
that they express openly.
a. Public opinion consists of those views held by ordinary citizens that are
openly expressed.
b. The process by which individuals acquire their political opinions is called
political socialization.
c. Americans political opinions are shaped by several frames of reference,
including partisanship, ideology, and group attachments.
d. Public opinion has an important influence on government but ordinarily does
not determine exactly what officials will do.
2. Political Socialization: The Origins of Americans Opinions:
a. Political Socialization: The process by which people acquire attachments.
b. Agents of Socialization: They can be divided between primary and secondary
agents.
i. Primary agents interact closely and regularly with the individual.
ii. Secondary agents have a less intimate connection with the individual
and are usually more important later in life.
c. Primary Socializing Agents: Family, School, and Church:
i. The school like family affects childrens basic political beliefs
ii. Religious organizations are a powerful socializing agent for some
children.
d. Secondary Socializing Agents: Peers, Media, Leaders, and Events:
i. Socializing agents come into play.
ii. An individuals worker, neighbor, friends may affect ones political
standpoint.
iii. Mass media are also powerful socializing agents.
iv. Agenda setting effect: The ability of the media to influence what is on
peoples minds.
3. Frames of Reference: How Americans think politically
a. Party Identification: Party identification refers to a persons ingrained sense of
loyalty to a political party.
b. Selective Perception: Is the process whereby people selectively choose from
incoming information those aspects that support what they already believe.
c. Political Ideology: Ideology: Can be defined as a general belief about the role
and purpose of governments.
i. Economic Liberals: Governments should use its power to help the
economically disadvantaged.
ii. Economic Conservatives: Governments should leave market
distribution to the market itself.
iii. Cultural (social) liberals: Leave lifestyle choices to the individuals.

iv. Cultural (social) conservatives: Use government to promote traditional

values.
v. Populism (communitarian): An individual who is an economic liberal
and a cultural conservative.
vi. Libertarian: Used to characterize who values economic conservatism,
but social liberalism.
d. Group Orientations: Many Americans see politics through the lens of group
affinity.
i. Religion: Religious beliefs have long been a source of solidarity
among group members and a source of conflict with outsiders.
ii. The most powerful religious force in todays politics is the so-called
religious right.
iii. Economic Class: Economic class has less influence on political
opinion in the United States than in Europe.
iv. Region: Regional differences continue to exist on some issues,
including social welfare and civil rights.
v. Race Ethnicity: Blacks and Hispanics are generally more supportive of
affirmative action and less trusting of police and the judicial system.
vi. Gender: Women and men tend to think alike on many issues including
abortion rights, but tend to disagree on others.
vii. Generations and Age: As the political environment change, the political
views will differ somewhat from those of earlier generations.
viii. Cross-cutting groups: Cross-cutting groups encourage individuals to
appreciate and understand political differences.
e. The Measurement of Public Opinion:
i. Public Opinion Polls: Probability sampling
1. Sample: individuals that are interviewed in order to estimate
the opinions of a whole population.
2. Population: The entire group in interest.
3. Sampling error: The degree to which the sample estimates
might differ from what the population actually thinks.
ii. Problems with Polls: Some Americans are not directly accessible of the
methods used in sampling polls. For example: not all Americans have
telephones.
4. The Influence of Public Opinion on Policy:
a. Limits on the Publics Influence: Officials face obstacles, including
inconsistencies in citizens policy preferences.
b. Public Opinion and the Boundaries of Action: Certain actions are outside the
boundaries of public acceptability.
c. Leaders and Public Opinion: Officials often go to great lengths to win public
support for their policies. If leaders succeed in persuading the public to accept
their point of view, policy and opinion will coincide but they will do so
because leaders have been able to influence public opinion.