Chapter 8 Government Notes

The views of the citizenry about politics, public issues, and public policies; a complex collection of opinions held by many people on issues in the public arena.

The learning process through which most people acquire their political attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and knowledge.

People and institutions that influence the political views of others.

Newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and Internet, and any other printed or electronic means of communication.

Associates, often those close in age to oneself may include friends, classmates, co-workers, club members, or religious group members. This influence is a significant factor in the political socialization process.

A numerical survey of the public’s opinion on a particular topic at a particular moment.

In the context of opinion polling, a group of people selected to represent the population being studied.

A nonscientific poll; a poll in which there is no way to ensure that the opinions expressed are representative of the larger population.

A poll sample that does not accurately represent the population.

In the context of opinion polling, a sample in which each person within the entire population being polled has an equal change of being chosen.

In the context of opinion polling, the difference between what the sample results show and what the true results would have been had everybody in the relevant population been interviewed.

A campaign tactic used to feed false or misleading information to potential voters, under the guise of taking an opinion poll, with the intent to “push” voters away from one candidate and toward another.

A test given to voters to ensure that they could read and write and thus evaluate political information; a technique used in many southern states to restrict African American participation in elections.

A fee of several dollars that had to be paid before a person could vote; a device used in some southern states to prevent African Americans from voting.

A clause in a state law that had the effect of restricting the franchise (voting rights) to those whose ancestors had voted before the 1860’s; one of the techniques used in the South to prevent African Americans from voting.