PUBLIC OPINION

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CHAPTER 5 PUBLIC OPINION
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The purpose of this chapter is to explore what we
mean by public opinion and to ask what sorts of
effects public opinion has on our supposedly
democratic form of government.
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"of the people, by the people, for the people."

• Yet the federal government's budget is not
  balanced
• Yet the people have opposed busing
• Yet the ERA was not ratified
• Yet most Americans opposed President Clinton's
  impeachment
• Yet most Americans favor term limits for Congress

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Government not intended to do "what the people
want"

• Framers of Constitution aimed for substantive
  goals
• Popular rule was only one of several means toward
  these goals.
• Large nations feature many "publics" with many
  "opinions."
• Framers hoped no single opinion would dominate
• Reasonable policies can command support of many
  factions

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Theme A Political Socialization 1. The Role of
the Family 2. The Role of Religion 3. The gender
gap 4. Schooling and Information
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The role of the family

• Child absorbs party identification of family but
  becomes more independent with age
• Much continuity between generations
• Declining ability to pass on identification
• Younger voters exhibit less partisanship more
  likely to be independent
• Meaning of partisanship unclear in most families
  less influence on policy preferences
• Few families pass on clear ideologies

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Religion

• Religious traditions affect families
• Catholic families somewhat more liberal
• Protestant families more conservative
• Jewish families decidedly more liberal
• Two theories on differences
• Social status of religious group
• Content of religion's tradition

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The gender gap

• A "problem" that has existed for a long time for
  both parties
• Men and women both identified with the Democratic
  Party at about the same levels in the 1950s
• By the 1990's men identified more with the
  Republican party while women continued to support
  the Democrats at earlier levels

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Schooling and information

• College education has liberalizing effect longer
  in college, more liberal
• Effect extends beyond end of college
• Cause of this liberalization?
• Personal traits temperament, family,
  intelligence
• Exposure to information on politics
• Liberalism of professors

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Theme B Group, Cleavage, Political Attitudes and
Political Ideology 1. Social Class or
Occupation 2. Race and Ethnicity 3. Region
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Social class less important in United States
than in Europe

• More important in 1950s on unemployment,
  education, housing programs
• Less important in 1960s on poverty, health
  insurance, Vietnam, jobs
• Why the change?
• Education occupation depends more on schooling
• Noneconomic issues now define liberal and
  conservative

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Impact of race and ethnicity is less clear

• Some clear difference in opinion (party
  identification, O.J. Simpson, criminal justice
  system, affirmative action)
• Some similarities (quotas, getting tough on
  crime, abortion, etc.)
• Evidence that the gap in opinions is narrowing

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Region

• Southerners more conservative than northerners on
  military and civil rights issues but difference
  fading overall
• Southern lifestyle different
• Lessening attachment to Democratic party

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Ideology patterned set of political beliefs
about who ought to rule, their principles and
policies

• Most citizens display little ideology moderates
  dominate

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What do liberalism and conservatism mean?

• Liberal and conservative labels have complex
  history
• Europe during French Revolution conservative
  church, state authority
• Roosevelt and New Deal activism liberalism
• Conservative reaction to activism (Goldwater)
  free market, states' rights, economic choice
• Today's imprecise and changing meanings

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Three useful categories emerge from studies

• Economic policy liberals favor jobs for all,
  subsidized medical care and education, taxation
  of rich
• Civil rights liberals prefer desegregation,
  equal opportunity, etc.
• Public and political conduct liberals tolerant
  of demonstrations, favor legalization of
  marijuana, and so on

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Theme C Ideology and Public Opinion
Polling 1. Pure Liberal - liberal on economic
and personal conduct issues. 2. Conservative -
conservative on economic and personal conduct
issues.
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3. Libertarians - conservative on economics,
liberal on personal conduct issues. 4.
Populists - liberal on economics, conservative
on personal conduct issues.
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Neoliberalism A New Class Instead of assigning
priority to equality and freedom, neoliberalism
focuses on producing new wealth through high
technology -- those who are advantaged by the
power, resources, and growth of government (not
business)
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Two explanations of well-off individuals who are
liberals

• Their direct benefits from government
• Liberal ideology infusing postgraduate education

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See Critical Thinking Public Opinion on
Abortion Liberal, Conservative or Neither? and
Public Opinion on Homosexuality Liberal,
Conservative or Neither?
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The Art of Public Opinion Polling 1. Random
Sample 2. Comprehensible Questions - people make
up answers when they do not understand or
actually have no opinion. 3. Fair Questions - no
loaded language 4. Fair Answer Question
Categories 5. Dont forget sampling error.
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A classic example of how not to handle survey
research was the Literary Digest poll of 1936.
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Trends

• Probably Tell Us the Most About Political
  Attitude
• Look at Polls Across A Period of Time
• What Appears to Be Happening?

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Theme D Do Elites Control Opinion and Public
Policy Elite theorists argue that mass opinion
is largely inconsequential in the ultimate
shaping of political policy. Rather, it is the
thin strata of the politically informed and
active through which policy agendas and norms are
established.
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Yes and No

• Elites influence public opinion in three ways
• Raise and form political issues
• State norms by which to settle issues, defining
  policy options
• Elite views shape mass views
• Limits to elite influence on the public
• Elites do not define problems
• Many elites exist hence many elite opinions

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Politically Speaking - Ideology You Versus Your
Enemies
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The Party Identification of Men and Women
1952-1996
Source Karen M. Kaufman and John R. Petrocik,
The Changing Politics of American Men
Understanding the Sources of the Gender Gap,
American Journal of Political Science 43 (1999)
864-887.
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For more information and to view current
political polling data link to the Metropolitan
Community College Political Science Web
Site http//socsci.mccneb.edu/pos/polscmain.htm Cl
ick on Polls
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Major Polling Sites

• http//www.pollingreport.com/
• http//www.people-press.org
• http//gallup.com

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Self-Test