Chapter 8 Mass Media and Public Opinion

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Chapter 8Mass Media and Public Opinion
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Section 1The Formation of Public Opinion

• What Is Public Opinion?
• Vs. private opinion
• Is very complicated.
• Different Publics
• All who hold a particular view
• Vs. public affairs
• A loose termhard to define
• Definition
• Those attitudes held by a significant number of
  people on matters of government and politics.
• Does not need to be written.

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• Family and Education
• Political socialization starts at home.
• The Family
• A monopoly until we are older
• The Schools
• Patriotism
• History
• Experiences
• Other Factors
• Your job and issues there
• Mass Media
• Television in 98 of homesmany with 2
• Movies, magazines, radio, Internet, etc.
• Peer Groups

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• Other Factors (cont.)
• Opinion Leaders
• The President
• Ministers, doctors, lawyers, talk-radio
• Historic Events
• Great Depression, WWII, 9-11, assassinations,

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Section 2Measuring Public Opinion

• Measuring Public Opinion
• Voting, lobbying, books, pamphlets, magazine and
  newspaper articles, editorial comments, paid
  advertisements, and letters to the editor.
• ElectionsNOT mandates
• Just indicators, not definitive
• Electorate is just too complex and divided.

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• Measuring Public Opinion (cont.)
• Interest Groups
• The Mediamirrors and molders
• Personal Contacts
• PollsThe Best Measure
• Straw Votesvery unreliable
• Scientific Polling
• Gallup and Roper in the 1930s
• Now more than 1,000 organizations
• Gallup and Harris are most respected

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• The Polling Process
• Define the Universe
• Constructing a Sample
• Representative
• Randomnessprobability sample
• 1,500 people are interviewed in most polls
• Law of Probability1,500 or 3
• Quota Sampleused to reflect demographics

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• The Polling Process (cont.)
• Preparing Valid Questions
• Avoiding emotionally charged words.
• Interviewing
• Face to face
• Telephone/mail
• Analyze and Report Findings
• Technology can refine the results
• Push Polling

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• Evaluating Polls
• Intensitystrength of feeling with which a
  response is held.
• Stabilitypermanence or changeability of the
  opinion.
• Relevancehow important is the opinion to the
  person who holds it.
• Bandwagon Effectinfluences the result.

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• Limits on the Impact of Public Opinion.
• They do not decide elections
• They do not remove the protections built into our
  Constitution.

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Section 3The Mass Media

• The Role of Mass Media (from medium)
• Television98, fewer bathrooms
• 1,400 stations
• Major networks plus CNN, PBS, etc.
• Newspapers1,500
• Radio12,000 stations
• Magazines12,000

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• The Media and Politics
• The Public Agenda
• Not what to think but what to think about
• Electoral Politics
• Drives coverage
• Short, interesting
• Sound bites

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• Limits on Media Influence
• Less than 10 follow news closely
• Those who do are often selective
• Entertainment shows convey messages
• Few public affairs programs
• Coverage skims news
• Becoming informed takes effort

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