The Politics of Public Opinion (American Government)

Recall cards on public opinion in American politics. What public opinion is and how it forms: political socialization and its agents (family, schools, peers, religious organizations, and the media), and the major political ideologies (classical, modern, and traditional variants of liberalism and conservatism, plus socialism, communism, and fascism). How public opinion is measured: representative and random samples, the margin of error, exit, straw, push, and favorability polls, leading questions, the Bradley effect, and overt versus covert content. What the public thinks and the heuristics it uses (party identification, political elites, political culture, diffuse support) plus the patterns in presidential, congressional, and Supreme Court approval ratings. And the effects of public opinion: delegate representation, the bandwagon effect, horserace coverage, political capital, and the greater responsiveness of the House relative to the Senate.