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Political Attitudes and Public Opinion

Political Attitudes and Public Opinion. Daniel Fried Takako Kimura Tyler Richards Lenis Warren. I need to see …. Problems with relying on public opinion. Many people lack political knowledge Attitudes not “ideological” (no apparent pattern) Attitudes seem to shift from day to day

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Political Attitudes and Public Opinion

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  1. Political Attitudes and Public Opinion

  2. Daniel Fried Takako Kimura Tyler Richards Lenis Warren I need to see …

  3. Problems with relying on public opinion • Many people lack political knowledge • Attitudes not “ideological” (no apparent pattern) • Attitudes seem to shift from day to day • Difficult to measure reliably

  4. Measuring Public Opinion • Polling • Concerns: • Sampling issues • Measurement issues

  5. Sampling issues • What is the relevant population? • Is the sample random? - who do we ask? (selection bias) - who answers? (nonresponse bias) • Is the sample big enough?

  6. Measurement issues • A poll is only as good as the questions asked! • Problems • Confusing questions • Value-laden questions (push polling) • Over-simplified questions • Satisficing • Salience • Question order

  7. Possible Survey Question –What’s Wrong? • Most semesters are 15 weeks long; while most quarters are 10 weeks long.  However, in a quarter, we take out two days for Thanksgiving, one for Veteran’s Day, and one for Columbus Day.  On the other hand, semester schools also get Labor Day off, but they start several weeks earlier in the fall and generally attend school farther into December.  Plus, some semester systems take more than two days for Thanksgiving.  Considering the above, which system would you prefer?

  8. Possible Survey Question – What’s Wrong? • Since informed political participation is the lynchpin of American democracy, should PSCI 1050 be a requirement for graduation?

  9. Possible Survey Question –What’s Wrong? • Should abortion be legal or illegal?

  10. Possible Survey Question –What’s Wrong? • Do you think UNT faculty should or should not be allowed to opt out of the Texas Teachers’ Retirement System?

  11. What’s a politician to do?? • Don’t take polls too seriously • Know your audience! • Avoid “position issues” in favor of “valence issues”

  12. Example of a Valence Issue

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