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