CHAPTER SIx • PublIC OPInIOn, POlITICAl SOCIAlIzATIOn, And THE MEdIA 129
a scientifically chosen random sample. Other news media may then publicize the survey
as if it were a poll taken by such reliable teams as Gallup, CBS and the New York Times,
or the Wall Street Journal and NBC. Critical consumers should watch out for surveys with
self-selected respondents and other types of skewed samples. These so-called polls may
be used to deliberately mislead the public.Public Opinion and the Political Process
Public opinion affects the political process in many ways. Politicians, whether in office or in
the midst of a campaign, see public opinion as important to their careers. The president,
members of Congress, governors, and other elected officials realize that strong support
by the public as expressed in opinion polls is a source of power in dealing with other
politicians. It is more difficult for a senator to say no to the president if the president is
immensely popular and if polls show approval of the president’s policies. Public opinion
also helps political candidates identify voters’ most important concerns and may help them
shape their campaigns successfully.Political Culture and Public Opinion
Americans are divided into a multitude of ethnic, religious, regional, and political sub-
groups. Given the diversity of American society and the wide range of opinions contained
within it, how is it that the political process continues to function without being stale-
mated by conflict and dissension?
One explanation is rooted in the concept of the American political culture, which can
be described as a set of attitudes and ideas about the nation and the government. As dis-
cussed in Chapter 1, our political culture is widely shared by Americans of many different
backgrounds. To some extent, it
consists of symbols, such as the
American flag, the Liberty Bell,
and the Statue of Liberty. The
elements of our political cul-
ture also include certain shared
beliefs about the most impor-
tant values in the American
political system, including lib-
erty, equality, and property.
The political culture pro-
vides a general environment of
support for the political system.
If the people share certain beliefs
about the system and a reservoir
of good feeling exists toward
the institutions of government,
the nation will be better able to
weather periods of crisis.Political Trust. The political
culture also helps AmericansLO4: Consider the effect that
public opinion may have on the
political process.Mick Stevens/www.cartoonbank.comCopyright 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
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