The document discusses how public opinions are formed through various influences like family, schools, mass media, peer groups, and historic events. It also examines how public opinion is measured through polls, the history and science of polling, and some limitations of polls. Finally, it analyzes the role of mass media in shaping public opinion through agenda-setting and influencing elections.
1. How are
MASS MEDIA & opinions
formed?
PUBLIC OPINION How are
opinions
measured?
The Media
2. WHAT IS PUBLIC OPINION?
Attitudes held by significant number of people on public
policy matters
Why is public opinion important in a democracy?
Should politicians do what “the people” want?
(West Wing – Lame Duck Congress)
3. WHY DO WE BELIEVE WHAT WE BELIEVE?
Family
School
Mass Media
Peer Groups
Opinion Leaders
Historic Events
4. FAMILY
- The foundations upon which political opinions are built start
with your parents
- Adopt the political views of the primary caregiver
- Political opinions also influenced by older siblings and other
relatives.
5. SCHOOLS
First break from familiar
influence
Schools teach the values of the
American political system
How?
Do schools and teachers ever
abuse this influence?
6. MASS MEDIA
Communication that reaches a large number of people
Internet, T V, Radio, Magazines, Newspapers
Has media become an “Echo Chamber?”
7. PEER GROUPS
Influence of peer groups increases during adolescence
Peer groups usually enforce what one already believes. Why?
8. OPINION LEADERS
Person with an unusually strong
influence on the views of others
Public of ficials, members of media,
religious leaders
Has the line between news and
commentary blurred?
Does the media reflect opinion, or
shape it?
9. HISTORIC EVENTS
Great Depression: A Case Study
- 1929: economy collapses
- 1938: near 20% unemployment
- Events persuaded majority of Americans to support a larger
role for the government
Other Examples
- 1960s & 70s
14. PRE-GALLUP ERA
Straw Polls
Asking the same question to a large number
of people
Online polls an example ( SportsNation --
http://espn.go.com/sportsnation /)
Why is this unreliable?
Literar y Digest Poll
Predicted Alf Landon would defeat FDR
Polled 2.3 million people – Why were the
results faulty?
15. SCIENTIFIC POLLING
Pioneered by George Gallup and Elmo Roper
Top firms today: Gallup, Harris, Marist, various media outlets
5 Steps to ensure a scientific poll
Defining the Universe
Constructing a Sample
Preparing Valid Questions
Interviewing
Interpreting & Analyzing
Focus Groups
West Wing: 100,000 Airplanes
16. DEFINING THE UNIVERSE
Whose opinion do you want to measure?
i.e.: Catholic voters, women over 35, likely voters etc.
17. CONSTRUCTING A SAMPLE
Cannot speak to all members of a universe
Sample: representative slice of the total universe
Random Sample
All members of a universe have an equal chance of being
included (law of probability)
Most polls seek 1 ,500 respondents for a margin of error of
+/- 3%
Would need 9,000 respondents to get to +/ - 1%
18.
19. A FINAL WORD ON SAMPLES
Respondents CANNOT be self -selected
What kind of polling does this eliminate?
Respondents CANNOT be fundamentally dif ferent from the
universe as a whole
Think Literary Digest poll
20. VALID QUESTIONS
How a question is asked will
influence the results.
Do you support lower taxes?
Do you support more funding
for local police departments?
Questions should not
suggest answers or use
“loaded words”
Push polls
West Wing: Lies, Damn Lies…
21. INTERVIEWING
Most pollsters do their work over the phone (random digit
dialing)
Why?
The way questions are asked can alter results.
22. WHAT POLLS CAN’T DO
Intensity of opinions
Stability of opinions
Relevance of opinions
Do polls shape opinion, or reflect it?
Bandwagon ef fect
Cannot replace elections
Cannot tell elected of ficials what to do
Polls are snapshots, with a short shelf -life
29. MEDIA & POLITICS
Setting the Public A genda
NY T: “All the news that’s fit to print.” – says who?
Media can influence what people think about
Has the explosion of the internet and cable news helped to
correct this problem, or is it worse now than ever before?
30. MEDIA & POLITICS
Influencing Elections
T V allows for a direct appeal
Social Media allows for more interaction
Visual media makes image more important than ever
Media covers the “horserace”
How to get your candidate on T V:
Interesting visuals
Short, pithy quotes (sound bites)