Terms : Hide Images
| 117609962 | public opinion | the collected attitudes of citizens concerning a given issue or question. 1)the public's opinion can vary over time dramatically 2)public opinion places boundaries on allowable types of public policy 3)people are willing to offer opinions out of their expertise 4)the gov't sometimes does not do what the public wants | |
| 117609963 | classical majoritarian model of public opinion's role | the gov't should do what the majority of the public wants | |
| 117609964 | pluralist model of public opinion's role | the public does not demonstrate clear, consistent values on gov't issues. but they recognize that subgroups do express opinions on specific matters. it also requires that gov't instituion allow free expression of opinion by the subgroups | |
| 117609965 | three factors that affect accuracy of a sample/poll | 1) the individuals are chosen randomly 2) size of sample 3) the variation of pop. | |
| 117609966 | skewed distribution | an asymmetrical distribution, there is a mode and a tail. | |
| 117609967 | bimodal distribution | respondents chose two categoires with equal frequency | |
| 117609968 | normal distribution | a symmetrical, bell-shaped spread around a single mode (most frequent response) | |
| 117609969 | stable distribution | little change over time | |
| 117609970 | political socialization | a complex process through which individuals become aware of politics, learn political facts, and form political values | |
| 117609971 | primacy principle | what is learned first is learned best | |
| 117609972 | structuring principle | what is learned first structures later learning | |
| 117609973 | three agents of early socialization | family, school, community/peers | |
| 117609974 | social goups and political values | education, income, region, ethnicity, religion, gender | |
| 117609975 | socioeconomic status | position in society based on combination of education, occupational status, and income | |
| 117609976 | self-interest principle | people choose what benefits them personally | |
| 117609977 | issue framing | politicians define the way issues are presented, selectively invoking values or recalling history in the presentation | |
| 117609978 | mass media | the means for communicating to the audience. two types: 1) print media 2) broadcast media | |
| 117609979 | attentive policy elites | group leaders who follow news in specific areas who influence mas opinion indirectly through a "two-step flow of communication" | |
| 117609980 | two-step flo of communication | the process in which a few elites gather info and then inform their followers, mobilizing them to pressure the gov't | |
| 117609981 | blogs | a form of newsletter that has a significant affect on news reporting | |
| 117609982 | newsworthiness | the degree to which a news story is important enough to be covered in the mass media | |
| 117609983 | market-driven journalism | both reporting and commercials geared to a target audience defined by demographic characteristics | |
| 117609984 | infotainment | a mix of info and diversion oriented to personalities or celebrities, not linked to the day's events, and usual unrelated to public affairs. soft news. | |
| 117609985 | federal communications commission (FCC) | an independent federal agency that regulates interstate and international communcations by radio, television, telephone, telegraph, cable, and satellite | |
| 117609986 | functions of the mass media for the political system | 1)reporting the news 2)interperting 3)influencing citizen's opinions 4)setting the agenda for gov't action 5)socializing citizens about politics | |
| 117609987 | gatekeepers | media executives , news editors, and prominent news reporters who dirct the flow of the news | |
| 117609988 | horse-race journalism | election coverage by the mass media that focuses on which canidate is ahead rather than on national issues | |
| 117609989 | media event | a situation that is so newsworthy that the mass media are compelled to cover it | |
| 117609990 | television hypothesis | the belief the tv is to blame for the low level of citizens' knowledge about public affairs | |
| 117609991 | political agenda | a list of issues that need gov't attention | |
| 117609992 | watchdog journalism | journalism that scrutinizes public and business institutions and publicizes percived misconduct | |
| 117609993 | terrorism | pre-meditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups | |
| 117609994 | political participation | actions of private citizens by which they seek to influence or support gov't and politics | |
| 117609995 | conventional participation | relatively routine political behavior that uses institutional channels and is acceptable to the dominant culture | |
| 117609996 | unconventional participation | relatively uncommon political behavior that challenges pr defies established institutions pr dominant norms | |
| 117609997 | direct action | unconventional participation that involves assmebling crowds to confront businesses and local gov'ts to demand a hearing | |
| 117609998 | supportive behavior | action that expresses allegiance to gov't and county | |
| 117609999 | influencing behavior | behavior that seeks to modify or reverse gov't policy to serve political interests | |
| 117610000 | class action suits | a legal action brought by a person or group on behalf of a number of people in similar circumstances | |
| 117610001 | voter turnout | the percentage of eligible voters who actually vote in an election | |
| 117610002 | suffrage/franchise | the right to vote | |
| 117610003 | progressivism | a philosophy of political reform based on the goodness and wisdom of the individual citizen as opposed to special interests and political instituions | |
| 117610004 | direct primary | a preliminary election, run by the state gov't, in which the voters choose each party's candidates for the general elections | |
| 117610005 | recall | the process for removing an elected official from office | |
| 117610006 | referendum | an election on a policy issue | |
| 117610007 | initiative | a procedure by which voters can propose an issue to be decided by the legislature or by the people in a referendum. It requires gathering a specified number of signatures and submitting a petition to a designated agency | |
| 117610008 | standard socioeconomic model | a relationship between socioeconomic status and conventional political involvment: people with higher status and more education are more likely to participate than those with lower status | |
| 117610009 | participation in a majoritarian model | views participation narrowly, favors conventional behavior (voting), bias towards equality is strong , wealthier and the more educated are more likely to vote in this model, little place for motivated citizens to excercise private influence over gov't action | |
| 117610010 | participation in a pluralist model | resourceful citizens who want the gov't's help, decentralized, offers opportunity to interact on an individual basis |
