STUDY GUIDE|^155WHAT IS PUBLIC OPINION?
E Defi ne public opinion, and explain why it matters in American politics. Pages 127–29
SUMMARY
What the population thinks about politics and government
matters for three reasons: people’s political actions are
driven by their opinions; there is a strong linkage between
people’s opinions and political actors’ behavior; and public
opinion helps us understand how specifi c policy outcomes
are achieved.
KEY TERMS
public opinion (p. 127)
latent opinion (p. 128)
considerations (p. 128)
CRITICAL THINKING AND DISCUSSION:
Given that many Americans cannot answer basic political
questions, and given that many of the opinions they ex-
press vary from day to day without anything changing in the
political world, how can we say that public opinion exists?
STUDY GUIDE
PRACTICE QUIZ QUESTIONS- What does it mean that most political judgments are
latent opinions?
a) Most Americans have preformed opinions.
b) Most Americans have well-thought-out reasons
for preferring a policy.
c) Most Americans do not have any meaningful
political attitudes.
d) Most Americans form their opinions only as needed.
e) Most opinions are not accurate. - Which of the following is not true regarding
considerations?
a) Well-informed and poorly informed people use
them in forming opinions.
b) Opinions on morally complex issues do not involve
considerations.
c) Political events can become considerations.
d) They may be contradictory.
e) Party identifi cation is often used in considerations.
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Diagnostic Quiz & Key Term Flashcards for This Chapter
SOURCES OF OPINIONS
E Explain how people form political attitudes and opinions. Pages 129–34
SUMMARY
Political opinions are infl uenced by a wide range of factors.
The belief systems of our parents and relatives infl uence
our opinions early on, and our social groups infl uence our
perspectives later in life. Personal events such as attending
college or moving to a new city may infl uence how we think
about politics, as do national events such as the September
11 attacks or the government’s decision to go to war. Even
political debates by political elites and party leaders shape
our political attitudes.
KEY TERMS
political socialization (p. 129)PRACTICE QUIZ QUESTIONS- Theories of political socialization say that people’s
opinions are infl uenced most by __.
a) what they learned from their parents
b) the way political parties change over time
c) their genetic and biological factors