116

A volunteer persuades a

St. Louis resident to sign

a petition calling for an

increase in the Missouri

state minimum wage.

(Sid Hastings/MCT via

Getty Images)

In a democracy, the ability of the people to freely express their opin-

ions is fundamental. Americans can express their opinions in many ways. They can write

letters to newspapers. They can share their ideas in online forums. They can organize

politically. They can vote. They can respond to opinion polls.

Immediately after the 2012 elections, President Barack Obama and the Republican

majority in the U.S. House of Representatives had to respond to the power of public opin-

6

Public Opinion, Political

Socialization, and

The Media

Learning OutcOmes

The six Learning Outcomes (LOs) below are designed to help improve your

understanding of this chapter. After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

◾   LO1 Define public opinion, consensus opinion, and

divided opinion, and discuss major sources of political

socialization, including the family, schools, the media, and

political events.

◾   LO2 Identify the effects of various influences on

voting behavior, including education, income, religion, race/

ethnicity, gender and geography.

◾   LO3 Describe the characteristics of a scientific opinion

poll, and list some of the problems pollsters face in obtaining

accurate results.

◾   LO4 Consider the effect that public opinion may have

on the political process.

◾   LO5 Describe the different types of media and the

changing roles that they play in American society.

◾   LO6 Summarize the impact of the media on political

campaigns, and consider the issue of political bias in the

media.

Check your understanding of the material with the Test Yourself section at

the end of the chapter.

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