Mass Media & Public Opinion

1. Chapter 8 Mass Media & Public Opinion

2. Public Opinion • The attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of government and politics.

3. Factors that Influence Public Opinion

4. Family and Education • Parents and siblings have a great impact on a person’s political philosophy. Why? • Education-teachers/professors and fellow students influence political thought, sometimes even more than family.

5. Mass Media • Those means of communication that reach large, widely spread audiences at one time. • Newspapers • Magazines • Radio • Internet • TV

6. Is Mass Media Biased? • Take out your article that you were assigned to bring in today. • Get into groups of 2-4- each person talk about your article and decide whether or not it is biased. • Staple your article to a piece of paper, on that paper tell me if your group thought it was biased or not…explain your conclusion.

7. Reaches Everyone 98% of Americans have a TV in their home. Most household TV’s are turned on for an average of 7 hours a day. The Internet is growing in Popularity, but has not passed TV.

8. Peer Groups • Those you are in contact with on a daily basis greatly influence your opinions on current events.

9. Historic Events • Many events in history have changed the way people think about the government. • Recent examples-WWI and WWII, Great Depression, Vietnam, 9/11…

10. Measuring Public Opinion

11. Interest Groups • Private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy. • The often try to pressure enemies into voting a certain way. • They present their views through lobbyists, letters, phone calls and other methods.

12. Polls • The best measure of public opinion. • We have used polls throughout history, although early polls were not very scientific.

13. Straw Polls • Polls that sought to read the public’s mind simply by asking the same question to many different people. • Still used today… • Newspapers (clip out and send it polls) • Talk radio shows asking for callers • Internet “click” polls

14. Scientific Polling • In order to create an effective poll, 5 steps must be taken: • Define the Universe (population) to be polled • Construct a sample • Prepare valid questions • Select and control how the poll will be taken • Analyze and report their findings to the public

15. Constructing a Sample • Most polls are drawn for a random sample(aka probability sample). • If the entire universe can’t be polled, a smaller, randomly selected group of people from the universe is polled. • Ex- Nat’l polls interview 1,500 Americans (out of almost 300 million)

16. Valid Questions • Wording is very important in polls • Ex- “Should local taxes be reduced?” Answer: Yes • Ex: “Should the city’s police force be increased to fight the rising tide of crime in our community?” Answer: Yes • A good poll will not have LOADED questions like these.

17. Bad Questions • Good questions are not worded in a way to direct answers a certain way. • Bad Question: • Ex- “You don’t like President Barack Obama do you?” • Better Question: • Ex- “What is your opinion of President Barack Obama’s _____ Policy?”

18. Assignment • Create a poll- you must poll at least 25 people from Franklin (or your community). • You can choose the ages. • Do you want a large age group (rep. all of Franklin), or a small age group (what teenagers think of the government).

19. Your poll must have 2 well worded questions about the government (National Level). • Bad example- How much has Obama messed up our country in the past year? • Better Example- Do you agree or disagree with Obama’s healthcare program? • Information that must be gathered from each interviewee. • Age, whether or not they are a Franklin resident and their answers.

20. You must write up a conclusion about Franklin residents (or MCHS students) based on your poll information. Your final product will be in chart or spread sheet form (can be typed or hand written); stapled to your conclusion. Turn in your question and interview information along with your conclusion.