Mass Media and Public Opinion Chapter 8

Transcription

1 Mass Media and Pubic Opinion Chapter 8

2 S E C T I O N 1 The Formation of Pubic Opinion What is pubic opinion and why is it so difficut to define? How do famiy and education shape pubic opinion? What additiona factors shape pubic opinion?

3 What is Pubic Opinion? Pubic opinion i can be described d as those attitudes hed by a significant number of peope on matters of government and poitics. Different Pubics The United States is made up of many groups, or pubics, who share common news. Pubic Affairs Pubic affairs are those events and issues that concern the pubic at arge. In its proper sense, pubic opinion incudes ony those views that reate to pubic affairs. Pubic Opinions More than one pubic opinion can exist at the same time, because there are many ypubics. A view or position must be expressed in the open in order to be a pubic opinion.

4 The Poitica Spectrum Peope who have simiar opinions on poitica issues are generay grouped according to whether they are eft, right, or center on the poitica spectrum. LEFT CENTER RIGHT Radica Favors extreme change to create an atered or entirey new socia system. Libera Beieves that government must take action to change economic, poitica, and ideoogica i poicies i thought to be unfair. Moderate Hods beiefs that fa between ibera and conservative views, usuay incuding some of both. Conservative Seeks to keep in pace the economic, poitica, and socia structures t of society. Reactionary Favors extreme change to restore society to an earier, more conservative state.

5 Many factors infuence our poitica opinions and poitica sociaization over the course of a ifetime. The Famiy Chidren first see the poitica word from within the famiy and through the famiy s eyes. The strong infuence the famiy has on the deveopment of poitica opinions i is due to the arge amount of time chidren spend with the famiy. The Schoos Chidren acquire poitica knowedge throughout their time in the cassroom. Students are taught about poitica systems, patriotism, and great Americans. Some are even required to take a course on government in high schoo.

6 Other Factors Infuencing Pubic Opinion i Mass Media The mass media incude those means of communication that reach arge, widey dispersed audiences (masses of peope) simutaneousy. The mass media has a huge effect on the formation of pubic opinion. Peer Groups Peer groups are made up of the peope with whom one reguary associates, incuding friends, cassmates, neighbors, and co-workers.

7 Other Factors Infuencing Pubic Opinion i Opinion Leader An opinion eader is any person who, for any reason, has an unusuay strong infuence on the views of others. Historic Events Historic events can have a major impact on pubic opinion. The Great Depression is one event that t shaped the poitica views and opinions of a generation.

8 S E C T I O N 2 Measuring Pubic Opinion What are the chaenges invoved in measuring pubic opinion? Why are opinion pos the best measure of pubic opinion? What are the five steps in the poing process? What are the chaenges of evauating pos? What are the imits on the impact of pubic opinion in a democracy?

9 Other Factors Infuencing Pubic Opinion Eections Candidates who win an eection are said to have a mandate, or a command from the eectorate, to carry out campaign promises. In reaity, however, eection resuts are sedom an accurate measure of pubic opinion. Interest Groups Interest groups are private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape pubic poicy. Interest groups are a chief means by which pubic opinion is made known.

10 Other Factors Infuencing Pubic Opinion i The Media The media are frequenty described as mirrors as we as moders of opinion. Persona Contacts Pubic officias rey on frequent and wide-ranging contacts with their constituents, such as reading their mai, answering cas, and meeting peope in pubic.

11 Pos The Best Measure Straw Votes A straw vote is a method of poing that seeks to read the pubic s mind simpy by asking the same question of a arge number of peope. The straw-vote technique is highy unreiabe, however. Scientific Poing Serious efforts to take the pubic s puse on a scientific basis date from the 1930s. There are now more than 1,000 nationa and regiona poing organizations in this country, with at east 200 of these poing poitica preferences. Pubic opinion is best measured by pubic opinion pos, devices that attempt to coect information by asking peope questions.

12 The Poing Process Defining the Universe The universe is a term that means the whoe popuation that the po aims to measure.. Constructing a Sampe A sampe is a representative sice of the tota universe. Most professiona posters draw a random sampe, aso caed a probabiity sampe. A quota sampe is one that is deiberatey constructed to refect severa of the major characteristics of a given universe.

13 The Poing Process Preparing Vaid Questions The way in which questions are worded is very important. Wording can affect the reiabiity of any po.. Interviewing Posters communicate with the sampe respondents using various methods incuding person-to-person interviews, teephone cas, and mai surveys. Reporting Posters use computers to store and manipuate data, which heps them anayze and report the resuts of the po.

14 Evauating Pos Evauating Pos and Their Limit on Pubic Opinion On baance, most nationa and regiona pos are fairy reiabe. Sti, they are far from perfect. Potentia probems with pos incude their inabiity to measure the intensity, stabiity, and reevance of the opinions they report. Another potentia probem is that pos and posters are sometimes said to shape the opinions they are supposed to measure. Limits on the Impact of Pubic Opinion Pubic opinion is the major, but by no means the ony, infuence on pubic poicy in this country. Much of the American poitica system is designed to protect minority interests against the excesses of majority views and actions. Finay, pos are not eections, nor are they substitutes for eections.

15 S E C T I O N 3 The Mass Media How does the mass media fufi its roe to provide the pubic with poitica information? How does the mass media infuence poitics? What are the factors that imit the infuence of the media?

16 The Roe of Mass Media A medium is a means of communication; it transmits some kind of information. Four major mass media are particuary important in American poitics: Teevision Poitics and teevision have gone hand in hand since the technoogy first appeared. Today teevision is the principe source of poitica information for a majority of Americans. Radio On average, Americans hear 20 hours of radio each week. Radio has been a source of news and entertainment since Newspapers The first newspapers p carried mosty poitica news. Even with the tota number of newspapers decining, they are sti the second eading source of poitica information for most Americans. Magazines Some 12,000 magazines are pubished in the United States today. Severa magazines are devoted to American news and poitics.

17 Access to media varies from country to country. Daiy newspaper Popuation Teevision sets Radios per circuation per Country in miions per 1,000 persons 1,000 persons 1,000 persons United States , Japan Bangadesh Nigeria Mexico Itay India Chie Canada Nicaragua Source: The Word Amanac

18 The Pubic Agenda The Media and Poitics The media pay a very arge roe in shaping the pubic agenda, the societa probems that poitica eaders and citizens agree need government attention. It is not correct that the media te the peope what to think; but it is cear that they te the peope what to think about. Eectora Poitics Today, teevision aows candidates to appea directy to the peope, without the hep of a party organization. Candidates dates reguary try to use media coverage to their advantage. Newscasts featuring candidates are usuay short, sharpy focused sound bites snappy reports that can be aired in 30 to 45 seconds.

19 Limits on Media Infuence Ony a sma part of the pubic actuay takes in and understands much of what the media have to say about pubic affairs. Many media sources mosty skim the news, reporting ony what their news editors judge to be the most important and/or most interesting stories of the day. In-depth coverage of pubic affairs is avaiabe to those who want it and wi seek it out.