Public Opinion
Public Opinion (how people feel about things) and the Media most Americans= general public- care about the political issues that affect their day-to-day lives directly issue public- focus on one political issue- based on voters activity on the issue Characteristics of Public Opinion Saliency- degree to which it is important to a person or group of people Intensity- how strong people feel about a particular issue Stability- how public opinion changes over time measured indirectly through elections and directly through public opinion polls Polls Measure Public Opinion method of random sampling- poll what people in an area think on a particular subject sampling error- how far off the poll results may be Where does Public Opinion Come From?