The Formation of Public Opinion

1. The Formation of Public Opinion Unit 3, Notes 3

2. Public Opinion Public Opinion – suggests that most American are of the same viewpoints, opinion on a particular subject Example: public opinion of Britney Spears • Politicians say “the people” want this or that • assuming the public holds same opinion • But its not that easy, public actually agrees on very little • Most issues don’t capture the attention of all Americans • especially in government • Probably find more people who have an opinion on on Brittany than on economy • So public opinion should be about public affairs… • events that concern many people • So public opinion then should be… • attitudes held by significant number of people on matters of government

3. Public Opinion, Cont. Family and Education • Where we learn our public opinions • Starts first at home • this is where we hear our parents/guardians, political socializations starts here • Influences a child’s attitude toward government, race, religion, etc. • School • Start of school begins to break influence of family • Children are taught at school to respect flag, founding fathers and love for country

4. Other Factors Mass Media • Means of communication that reach large number at same time • Radio, TV, Internet, newspapers • Influence our opinions Peer Groups • Influence friends, coworkers Opinion Leaders • Any person who has strong influence on views of others • Celebrities, ministers, gov. leaders

5. Forms of Mass media Ranked in terms of impact on the public • Television - reaches the most people (80% of population gets its news this way) - 3 major networks – NBC, CBS, ABC – recently added FOX, CNN, cable news channels - 24 hour news channels make news even more accessible

6. Forms of mass media, cont. 2) Newspapers – oldest form - newspapers can cover stories in more depth than TV news can - can also present different points of view (editorials) - provide more local news 3) Radio – FDR first major public figure to use it effectively for politics • most only devote a few minutes to news • just the headlines, or entertainment news • larger cities may have some all news channels • talk radio has become increasingly popular

7. Forms of mass media, cont. 4) Magazines – most deal with special interests (ex: Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest, Seventeen) - 3 major news magazines = Time, Newsweek, US News and World Report - can go in depth, but on the issues they choose

8. Media and politics Media has great affect on politics in two main areas: • Sets the public agenda – as they report and talk the media determines what issues people will think and talk about - can focus the public attention on certain issues • Electoral Policies – candidates are less dependent on their party to get their word out - with TV, candidates can appeal directly to the people - politicians are very aware of the image the media presents - candidates plan things around TV exposure (Ex: timing, location, what they wear)

9. Media and politics, cont. • News casts usually feature stories that are short, and show people doing something interesting • Show candidates in a soundbite= quick 30-45 second excerpt or sometimes staged report Limits of Media Influence • Only a small part of the public pays close enough attention to political events • only small part understand what most of the media is talking about • Those that do pay attention are selective • they choose to pay attention to media sources that support their views • TV mostly entertains, radio only “skims” the news • Newspapers go in more detail, but most people read the sports or local news

10. Other Factors, Cont. Historic Events • Influence public opinion • Example: Depression – changed way people viewed government • Many more people began to call for more government involvement in life • Shift in loyalty from Republican to Democrats • War – changes opinion