socialization
the way in which we come to see society and ourselves and learn to interact with other individuals and groups
political socialization
process most notably in families and schools by which we develop our political attitudes, values, & beliefs
nationalism
consciousness of the nation-state and of belonging to it
attitudes
an individual's propensity to perceive, interpret, or act toward a particular object in a particular way
distribution
proportion of population that holds a particular opinion, compared to people who have opposing opinions, or no opinions
random sample
every individual has a known and equal chance of being selected
random digit dialing
computer generates phone numbers at random, allowing researcher to reach unlisted numbers, cell phones, & home phones
margin of error
range of percentage points in which the sample accurately reflects the population
plus or minus 3%
art of asking questions
measure respondents' factual knowledge, opinions, intensity of opinions, & views on hypothetical situations
open-ended questions
permit respondents to answer in their own words
questions are harder to record and compare, but views are expressed clearer
analysis and reporting of the results
scientific polls must specify sample size, margin of error, only snapshot of views at that particular moment
change
interview same sample multiple times (panel surveys)
universe
group of people whose preference we try to measure by taking a sample; also called population
intensity
measure of how strongly an individual holds a particular opinion
scale
way researchers determine intensity
latency
political opinions that are held but not yet expressed
latent opinions set rough boundaries for politicians
manifest opinion
widely shared & consciously held view, such as support for abortion rights or for homeland security
salience
individual's belief that an issue is important or relevant to him or her
correlates with intensity
voter registration
system designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents, including proof of residency
National Voter Registration Act
allows people to register to vote while applying or renewing a driver's license
offices providing welfare & disability can also offer registration
public schools, libraries, city & county clerks offices
registration by mail
forbids states from purging the
general elections
elections in which voters elect officeholders
primary elections
elections in which voters determine party nominees
midterm elections
elections held midway between presidential elections
off-year elections
elections held in odd-numbered calendar years
turnout
proportion of the voting-age public that votes, sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote
higher in general elections than primary
higher in primary than special
higher in presidential primary than midterm primary
canvass
campaigners learn which issues matter to potential voters and which candidates voters prefer by interviews
party identification
an informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood
candidate appeal
how voters feel about a candidate's background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities
wedge issues
gay marriage, minimum wage, abortion
prospective issue voting
voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected
retrospective issue voting
holding incumbents, usually the president's party, responsible for their records on issues, such as the economy or foreign policy
state of economy is always central issue
selective exposure
individuals choosing to access media with which they agree or avoiding media with which they disagree
attentive public
citizens who follow public affairs carefully
Public opinion
distribution of individual preferences for or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population
panel survey
interviewing the same sample more than once
consensus
when a substantial percentage of a sample agrees on an issue
polarized
when two opposing sides feel intensely about an issue and the difference between the major alternatives is wide
absentee voting
when a voter chooses to vote early using the mail