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Public Opinion and Mass Media

Public Opinion and Mass Media. The Formation of Public Opinion. What is Public Opinion? Those attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of Government and Politics. ‘Public Opinion’. The phrase is used incorrectly all too often by newspapers, media, tv resources…

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Public Opinion and Mass Media

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  1. Public Opinion and Mass Media

  2. The Formation of Public Opinion • What is Public Opinion? • Those attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of Government and Politics

  3. ‘Public Opinion’ • The phrase is used incorrectly all too often by newspapers, media, tv resources… • Media suggests that ALL AMERICANS have the same opinion… • There are very few matters on which Americans think exactly alike…

  4. Public Affair • Those issues that include: • Politics • Public Issues • Policy Making Issues that concern the PUBLIC AT LARGE

  5. How do we get out Public Opinions? • Family and Education- none of us are born with inbred attitudes about politics and issues, instead we acquire them from • Family • Education

  6. FAMILY • Most Parents think of themselves as agents of political socialization… • Fundamental Attitudes, Morals, and Values- WHICH EVENTUALLY DEVELOP POLITCAL ATTITUDES begin to form at a young age…

  7. THE SCHOOLS • Formal Schooling marks the initial break in the influence of family • Children become influenced by activities outside the home • Socialization occurs, and informal schooling comes along with a variety of experiences… • OUTSIDE influences become a factor in choice making…

  8. QUESTION: • Which are the most important factors in political socialization? • family and education • race and occupation • peer groups and opinion leaders • mass media and historic events

  9. MASS MEDIA • Communication that reaches a large widely dispersed audience simultaneously • Radio • magazines • Internet • Public TV

  10. Media • Newspapers • Number of daily newspapers has declined significantly • Number of cities with multiple papers has declined • 60 percent of cities had competing newspapers in 1900 • Only 4 percent in 1972 • Newspaper circulation has fallen since 1967 • Most people now get most of their news from television • Radio and television • Intensely competitive, becoming more so • Composed mostly of locally owned and managed enterprises, unlike Europe • Orientation to local market • Limitations by FCC; widespread ownership created

  11. QUESTION: • How has television affected political campaigns? • It has made candidates use more polls. • It has made candidates less dependent on political parties. • It has led to less coverage of the issues. • It has made the public less interested in elections.

  12. PEER GROUPS • People with whom one regularly associates… • Usually reinforces what one usually has already come to believe • Trust in Friends • Like Minds usually have similar backgrounds/experiences…

  13. OPINION LEADERS • Views expressed by prominent people bear heavily on public opinion • Most OPINION LEADERS hold public office… • Others are prominent business, agricultural, civic leaders…

  14. Who Are Opinion Leaders? • Can Be Popular Culture Icons as well… • Whatever their background they play significant roles in the formation of public opinion

  15. Measuring Public Opinion • Elections…

  16. Interest Groups • Private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy • PRESSURE GROUS OR SPECIAL INTERETS GROUPS

  17. POLLS- The Best Measure… • Public Opinion Polls- attempts to collect information about the potential voting outcome…more scientific methods do exist • STRAW VOTE- early method; sought to read the public’s mind by asking the same questions…

  18. Scientific Polling… • Serious effort to measure the publics opinion on a scientific basis • POST 1930’s • Currently OVER 1000 National Polling Organizations.. • MOST ACCURATE MEASURE

  19. The order of the five basic steps in a scientific poll is: • defining the universe, constructing a sample, preparing valid questions, interviewing, analyzing and reporting findings. • JUST LIKE A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT!

  20. The Polling Process… • DEFINE THE UNIVERSE- entire population of voters • SAMPLE- A representative of the total universe • RANDOM SAMPLE- aka-probability sample, pollster interviews random people • QUOTA SAMPLE- sample deliberated constructed to reflect several of the major characteristics of given universe

  21. Preparing Valid Questions… • Responsible pollsters acknowledge these issues and phrase their questions very carefully

  22. The Role of Mass Media • Media- a means of communication that transports information… • The Media playa a role in shaping the PUBLIC AGENDA Public Agenda- the societal problems that political leasers and citizens agree need Governmental attention…

  23. The Role Of Interest Groups • They seek to influence PUBLIC POLICY • Public Policy- includes all the goals a Government sets and the various courses of action it pursues as an attempt to realize these goals.

  24. Interest Groups • Joining w/others who share your views is both practical and democratic • Sometimes called PRESSURE GROUPS

  25. POLITICAL PARTIES V. INTEREST GROUPS • Different from One another in 3 ways: 1. IN MAKING NOMINATIONS 2. IN THEIR PRIMARY FOCUS 3. IN THE SCOPE OF THEIR INTERSTS.

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