Public Opinion, Mass Media, and Interest Groups

Public Opinion, Mass Media, and Interest Groups Chapter 11 Section 1, 2, and 3

Public Opinion • Public Opinion- ideas and attitudes that most people hold about a particular issue or person • Public Opinion helps shape the decisions of every President • Presidents need the support of the public and Congress to carry out programs– they are more likely to have support if their popularity with the public is high

Personal Background • Age • Gender • Income • Race • Religion • Occupation • Place of residence • Ex. A young wealthy person from a big city will have different views about government than a poor elderly woman from a small town

Interest Groups • Interest Group- group of people who share a similar point of view about an issue and unite to promote their beliefs • Interest groups try to persuade public officials toward their point of view

Features of Public Opinion • Direction- Positive or negative • Most of the time its mixed- some think positive, some think negative • Intensity- Strength of an opinion • When Americans have strong opinions on an issue, many are willing to act upon them by voting for or against a candidate or participating in a demonstration • Stability- How firmly people hold to their views • People’s opinions are less likely to change when they have a firm belief

Measuring Public Opinion • Public Opinion Polls- survey in which individuals are asked to answer questions about a particular issue or person • How good of a job is President Obama doing? • Do you support sending more troops to Iraq? • Do you support universal healthcare? • How satisfied are you with your Senators? • Pollster- person who regularly conducts polls • Random Samples- group of people picked at random from all over the US • Usually 1,500, men, women, all races, incomes, ages and viewpoints

Measuring Public Opinion cont. • Pollsters must be careful how they word their questions so they do not influence people • Push Polls- polls in which questions are worded to influence a person’s response • Pros- people in office keep up with citizen’s changing ideas about issues • Cons- people in office are more concerned with pleasing the public than political leadership

Mass Media • Print Media- newspapers, magazines, and books • Electronic Media- TV, radio, and internet • Public Agenda- issues that receive the most time, money and effort from government leaders • When the media publicizes a problem people begin to worry about it and the government must address it

Interest Groups • Private Interest Groups- promote special interest of their members • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People • National Organization for Women • National Education Association • American Medical Association • National Rifle Association • American Automobile Association • People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals • Give members incentives to join

Public Interest Groups • Public Interest Groups- promote special interest of all, not just members • League of Women Voters • Sierra Club • Political Action Committees (PACS)- collect money from the members of their group and use it to support some candidates and oppose others

Lobbyist • Lobbyists- representatives of interest groups who contact government officials directly • Named this as they used to wait in the lobby to ask politicians for favors • Prepare their own drafts of bills • Try and make sure laws are enforced and upheld in court

Lobbyists • Pros- make government more responsive, communicate people’s wishes to politicians • Cons- have too much say in government, monetary contributions give them improper influence over government

Public Opinion, Mass Media, and Interest Groups