Political Science Chapter 6

Agencies of socialization

social institutions, including families and schools, that help to shape individuals’ basic political beliefs and values

Attitude (or opinion)

a specific preference on a particular issue

Bandwagon effect

a shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front-runner

Conservative

today this term refers to those who generally support the social and economic status quo and are suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulae and economic arrangements. Conservatives believe that a large and powerful government poses a threat

Gender gap

a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men

Illusion of saliency

the impression conveyed by polls that something is important to the public when actually it is not

Liberal

today this term refers to those who generally support social and political reform; extensive governmental intervention in the economy; the expansion of federal social services; more vigorous efforts on behalf of the poor, minorities, and women; and greate

Liberty

freedom from governmental control

Marketplace of ideas

the public forum in which beliefs and ideas are exchanged and compete

Measurement error

failure to identify the true distribution of opinion within a population because of errors such as ambiguous or poorly worded questions

Political efficacy

the ability to influence government and politics

Political ideology

a cohesive set of beliefs that forms a general philosophy about the role of government

Political socialization

the induction of individuals into the political culture; learning the underlying beliefs and values on which the political system is based

Probability sampling

a method used by pollsters to select a representative sample in which every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent

Public opinion

citizens’ attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events

Public-opinion polls

scientific instruments for measuring public opinion

Push polling

a polling technique in which the questions are designed to shape the respondent’s opinion

Random digit dialing

a polling method in which respondents are selected at random from a list of ten-digit telephone numbers, with every effort made to avoid bias in the construction of the sample

Salient interests

attitudes and views that are especially important to the individual holding them

Sample

a small group selected by researchers to represent the most important characteristics of an entire population

Sampling error

polling error that arises based on the small size of the sample

Selection bias

polling error that arises when the sample is not representative of the population being studied, which creates errors in overrepresenting or underrepresenting some opinions

Values (or beliefs)

basic principles that shape a person’s opinions about political issues and events