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Understanding Mass Media's Influence on Public Opinion and Political Perspectives

This chapter explores the intricate relationship between mass media and public opinion. It discusses the distinction between private and public opinions, highlighting how attitudes on various issues are shaped by familial interactions, education, and influential figures in society. The role of mass media, including television, newspapers, and social media, in conveying political information and shaping public attitudes is examined. Furthermore, it delves into methodologies for measuring public opinion, such as polling, and the limits of these measures on understanding the intensity and stability of public sentiment.

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Understanding Mass Media's Influence on Public Opinion and Political Perspectives

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Chapter 8 Mass Media and Public Opinion

  2. Opinions • Private Opinion • Own View • Intensity Differs • Public Opinion • Most or all of Americans • Attitudes held by a significant number of people • EX: protest demonstrations, film, billboard, voting

  3. Different Publics • Many • Hold same view on issue • Public Affairs • Politics • Public issues • Public policies

  4. Family and Education • Family • 1st encounter with political world • Parent comments/stories • Watching television with family • School • Learn about historic figures • Teaches values • Ex: recite Pledge of Allegiance

  5. Other Factors • Single issue • Mass media • Newspapers, magazines, radio, internet, TV • Peer groups • Friends, classmates, neighbors, co-workers • Opinion leaders • Hold public office, writers, broadcasters, doctors • Historic events • Great Depression, assassinations, war

  6. Measuring Public Opinion • Elections • Interest Groups • Media • Personal Contacts

  7. Elections • Votes cast for different candidates • Mandate • Not very accurate measure of public opinion • Voter choices

  8. Interest Groups • Private organizations • Share certain views and objectives • “Pressure Groups” and “Special Interest Groups” • Lobbyist • Letters, phone calls

  9. Media • T.V., newspapers, magazines, blogs • Not very accurate measure of public opinion

  10. Personal Contacts • Try to read the public’s mind • Bags of mail • Phone calls • Emails • Trips home • Encounter public in offices, meetings, social gatherings, baseball games

  11. Polls-The Best Measure • Straw Votes • Ask same question • Given to large number of people • Fairly common • Very unreliable • Literary Digest

  12. Polls Cont… • Scientific Polling • National and regional polling organizations • Get public preference on various issues • Americans Just As Proud to be an American Citizen Now as After 9/11 • Two-thirds say living in freedom and owning a home are parts of the American Dream

  13. The Polling Process • Defining the Universe • Constructing a Sample • Prepare valid questions • Select and control how poll will be taken • Analyze and report findings

  14. Universe • Whole population-aims to measure • Opinions the polls wants to discover • EX: all voters in Ohio, Madison High School students

  15. Constructing a Sample • Not possible to poll everyone • Representative slice • Random sample • Randomly selected people • Need sufficient size • Majority polls 1,500 people Sufficient size+Random=accurate results • Quota sample • Less reliable

  16. Preparing Valid Questions • Question wording • Phrase questions carefully • No difficult terms • No emotionally charged words • Did you vote in the 2004 and 2006 election?

  17. Interviewing and Analyzing • Interviewing • Tone of voice • Carefully worded • EX: door to door, Random digit dialing • Analyzing • Computers • Technology • Publish findings

  18. Evaluating Polls • Fairly reliable • Difficulty measuring • Intensity • Stability • Relevance • Scientific Polls • Most useful tool at measuring public opinion

  19. Limits on the Impact of Public Opinion • Polls are not elections • Opinions vs. concrete information • Democracy

  20. Role of Mass Media • Means of communication • Television • Newspapers • Radio • Magazines

  21. Television • Politics and television • More televisions than plumbing • Replaced newspapers • CBS, ABC, NBC • FOX • CNN, Turner Broadcasting • PBS

  22. Newspapers • 1740 • 1st Amendment- Freedom of Press • 10,000+ newspapers in U.S. • Local papers

  23. Radio • 1920 • Music, news, sports, programs • 20 hours each week • most are local • Devote few minutes to the news

  24. Magazines • 1741 • 12,000 published in U.S. • Golf Digest, Teen, American Rifleman, Consumer Reports

  25. Media and Politics • Public Agenda • Public issues that are focused on • Media power • Electoral Politics • Candidates less dependent on party organizations • Appeal to the people • Stories • Less than a minute • Show people doing something

  26. Limits on Media Influence • 15% that vote are well informed • Selective • Few public affair programs in prime time • Interest

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