128 CHAPTER 5|PUBLIC OPINION AND THE MEDIA
time. Some of these beliefs are obviously political, such as party
identifi cation, ideolog y (liberal or conservative), and judgments
about whether elected offi cials lose touch with citizens. The sec-
ond, more specifi c type of opinion, such as beliefs about homosex-
uality or religion, may seem irrelevant to politics, but in fact a wide
range of seemingly nonpolitical beliefs directly shape Americans’
political opinions.
As noted, broad beliefs that people form early in life are relatively
stable. Consider liberal–conservative ideology: the best way to pre-
dict an American’s ideology at age 40 is to assume it will match his
or her ideology at age 20. The same is true for party identifi cation.
However, even fundamental opinions like these sometimes change
in response to events. For example, although party identifi cation
often persists throughout an individual’s life, it can change as new
issues arise or when candidates’ positions contradict a citizen’s notion of the dif-
ferences between parties.^7 In a later section we look more closely at how such opin-
ions form and why they change.Many Opinions Are Latent
One important thing to understand about public opinion is that although ideology and
party identifi cation are largely consistent over time, they are exceptions to the rule.^8
The average person does not maintain a set of fully formed opinions on all political
topics. Instead, most Americans’ political judgments are latent opinions: they are
constructed only as needed, such as when answering a survey question or deciding
just before Election Day how to vote. For example, when an individual is fi rst asked
about his opinions on global warming, he will probably not have a specifi c response
in mind because he has not thought much about the question. His opinions on global
warming become more concrete only when he has to describe them.
People who follow politics closely have more preformed opinions than the
average American, whose interest in politics is relatively low. But very few peo-
ple are so well informed that they have ready opinions on a wide range of political
questions. Moreover, even when people do form opinions in advance, they may
not remember every factor that influenced their opinions. Thus an individual
may identify as a liberal or a conservative, or as a supporter of a particular party,
but may be unable to explain the reasons behind these ideological leanings.^9How People Form Opinions
When people form opinions on the spot, they are based on considerations, which
are the pieces of relevant information—such as ideology, party identifi cation, reli-
gious beliefs, and personal circumstances—that come to mind when the opinion
is requested.^10 The process of forming an opinion usually is not thorough or sys-
tematic, since most people don’t take into account everything they know about
an issue.^11 Rather, they only use considerations that come to mind immediately.^12
Highly informed people who follow politics use this process, as do those with low
levels of political interest and knowledge.^13latent opinion An opinion formed
on the spot, when it is needed (as
distinct from a deeply held opinion
that is stable over time).
A PERSON’S IDEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
is relatively stable over time.
People who have a conservative
ideology generally oppose
increasing government spending
and taxes.
considerations The many pieces
of information a person uses to form
an opinion.