| Public Opinion Terms |
Public Opinion Definitions |
| Public Opinion | The distribution of individual attitudes toward a particular issue, candidate, or political institution |
| George Gallup | First person to develope public opinion polling |
| Representative Sample | The sample of those interviewed must be a representative of the entire population |
| Random Sampling | Type of polling which gives everyone in the population and equal probability of being selected |
| Respondent's Knowledge | Polls must adjust for people's lies and assumptions |
| Careful and Objective Wording | Pollers should not be asked questions that seek certain answers or limit the answer |
| Straw Poll | Poll that asks television viewers to call in and voice their opinions |
| Sampling Errors | The slight variations in polls that differ from the views of the population as a whole |
| Solid South | Region in the the south between the period of Reconstruction and the 1950's whose populous mainly voted Democrat |
| Political Ideology | Coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy |
| The American Voter | Classic study that investigated the ideological sophistication of the American electorate |
| Ideologues | People who connect their opinions and beliefs to policy positions by candidates and parties; about 12% of the population |
| Group Benifits Voters | People who vote for parties that support the types of groups they belong to, such as labor unions; about 42% of the population |
| Nature of the Times Voters | People who link the time period to parties, which has caused good economy, ect; about 24% of the population |
| No Issue Content | People who vote for reasons not pertaining to ideology or issue |
| Liberal | Disapprove of strong central government |
| Conservative | Believed that the government was best left to political elites |
| Neo-Con | Term that describes the post-Cold War conservative movement |
