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Chapter 8

Chapter 8. Mass Media and Public Opinion. Opinions. Private Opinion Own View Intensity Differs Public Opinion Most or all of Americans Attitudes held by a significant number of people EX: protest demonstrations, film, billboard, voting. Different Publics. Many Hold same view on issue

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Chapter 8

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  1. Chapter 8 Mass Media and Public Opinion

  2. Opinions • Private Opinion • Own View • Intensity Differs • Public Opinion • Most or all of Americans • Attitudes held by a significant number of people • EX: protest demonstrations, film, billboard, voting

  3. Different Publics • Many • Hold same view on issue • Public Affairs • Politics • Public issues • Public policies

  4. Family and Education • Family • 1st encounter with political world • Parent comments/stories • Watching television with family • School • Learn about historic figures • Teaches values • Ex: recite Pledge of Allegiance

  5. Other Factors • Single issue • Mass media • Newspapers, magazines, radio, internet, TV • Peer groups • Friends, classmates, neighbors, co-workers • Opinion leaders • Hold public office, writers, broadcasters, doctors • Historic events • Great Depression, assassinations, war

  6. Measuring Public Opinion • Elections • Interest Groups • Media • Personal Contacts

  7. Elections • Votes cast for different candidates • Mandate • Not very accurate measure of public opinion • Voter choices

  8. Interest Groups • Private organizations • Share certain views and objectives • “Pressure Groups” and “Special Interest Groups” • Lobbyist • Letters, phone calls

  9. Media • T.V., newspapers, magazines, blogs • Not very accurate measure of public opinion

  10. Personal Contacts • Try to read the public’s mind • Bags of mail • Phone calls • Emails • Trips home • Encounter public in offices, meetings, social gatherings, baseball games

  11. Polls-The Best Measure • Straw Votes • Ask same question • Given to large number of people • Fairly common • Very unreliable • Literary Digest

  12. Polls Cont… • Scientific Polling • National and regional polling organizations • Get public preference on various issues • Americans Just As Proud to be an American Citizen Now as After 9/11 • Two-thirds say living in freedom and owning a home are parts of the American Dream

  13. The Polling Process • Defining the Universe • Constructing a Sample • Prepare valid questions • Select and control how poll will be taken • Analyze and report findings

  14. Universe • Whole population-aims to measure • Opinions the polls wants to discover • EX: all voters in Ohio, Madison High School students

  15. Constructing a Sample • Not possible to poll everyone • Representative slice • Random sample • Randomly selected people • Need sufficient size • Majority polls 1,500 people Sufficient size+Random=accurate results • Quota sample • Less reliable

  16. Preparing Valid Questions • Question wording • Phrase questions carefully • No difficult terms • No emotionally charged words • Did you vote in the 2004 and 2006 election?

  17. Interviewing and Analyzing • Interviewing • Tone of voice • Carefully worded • EX: door to door, Random digit dialing • Analyzing • Computers • Technology • Publish findings

  18. Evaluating Polls • Fairly reliable • Difficulty measuring • Intensity • Stability • Relevance • Scientific Polls • Most useful tool at measuring public opinion

  19. Limits on the Impact of Public Opinion • Polls are not elections • Opinions vs. concrete information • Democracy

  20. Role of Mass Media • Means of communication • Television • Newspapers • Radio • Magazines

  21. Television • Politics and television • More televisions than plumbing • Replaced newspapers • CBS, ABC, NBC • FOX • CNN, Turner Broadcasting • PBS

  22. Newspapers • 1740 • 1st Amendment- Freedom of Press • 10,000+ newspapers in U.S. • Local papers

  23. Radio • 1920 • Music, news, sports, programs • 20 hours each week • most are local • Devote few minutes to the news

  24. Magazines • 1741 • 12,000 published in U.S. • Golf Digest, Teen, American Rifleman, Consumer Reports

  25. Media and Politics • Public Agenda • Public issues that are focused on • Media power • Electoral Politics • Candidates less dependent on party organizations • Appeal to the people • Stories • Less than a minute • Show people doing something

  26. Limits on Media Influence • 15% that vote are well informed • Selective • Few public affair programs in prime time • Interest

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