Test Bank Ch.6 Public Opinion And Political Participation 5e

Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Participation

Test Bank

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 01

1) Which perspective on public opinion’s influence could be related to the framers’ goal of avoiding the dangers of mob rule?

Feedback: factual

a. Ignorant masses

b. Self-governing people

c. Rational public

d. None of these

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 02

2) Public Opinion, an influential book, was written by

Feedback: conceptual

a. Ronald Reagan.

b. Walter Lippmann.

c. John Kennedy.

d. Karl Marx.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 03

3) Lippmann saw the typical American as distracted by which of the following?

Feedback: applied

a. Minor scandals

b. Voting records

c. Party politics

d. None of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 04

4) _______ said that the “The masses are asses!”

Feedback: factual

a. Mills

b. Lippmann

c. Goodnow

d. Lawrence

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 05

5) Lippmann saw the typical American as distracted by

Feedback: applied

a. celebrity shenanigans.

b. voting records.

c. party politics.

d. none of the above.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 06

6) Lippmann felt that the typical American

Feedback: factual

a. was interested in politics.

b. voted in every election.

c. rarely understood policy details.

d. was highly motivated.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 07

7) With what university were the authors of The American Voter affiliated?

Feedback: factual

a. University of Michigan

b. University of California

c. Arizona State University

d. Harvard University

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 08

8) The publication of what text showed Americans are politically ignorant?

Feedback: applied

a. Voting in the States after Landslides

b. The Constant Majority

c. The American Voter

d. None of these

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 09

9) In The American Voter, the authors argued that citizens knew _______ about the positions either political party stood for or about the main policy issues at the time.

Feedback: conceptual

a. little

b. a moderate amount

c. a great deal

d. none of these

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 10

10) The American Voter presented the foundation for what concept concerning the lack of a stable perspective in opinion surveys?

Feedback: factual

a. Nonattitudes

b. Response bias

c. Margin of error

d. Scientific inquiry

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 11

11) _______ can be seen as suggesting that people often change their responses or opinions randomly, not necessarily because of new information.

Feedback: factual

a. Nonattitudes

b. Response bias

c. Margin of error

d. Shifting alignments

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 12

12) Which publication says that the public is wise and reasonable in its opinions?

Feedback: factual

a. The American Voter

b. The Informed Public

c. The Rational Public

d. None of these

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 13

13) According to The Rational Public, information shortcuts come from

Feedback: conceptual

a. news reports.

b. elected officials.

c. personal experience.

d. education.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 14

14) What do the authors of The Rational Public argue most people use to make decisions?

Feedback: factual

a. Polls

b. Information shortcuts

c. Friends

d. News Reports

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 15

15) Where do information shortcuts come from?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Polls

b. Friends

c. Everyday life

d. Collective Opinion

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 16

16) _______ shortcuts are cues about candidates and policies drawn from everyday life.

Feedback: conceptual

a. Preference

b. Information

c. Access

d. Temporary restraint

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 17

17) A homeowner grasping the importance of interest-rate changes demonstrates what type of shortcut relating to The Rational Public?

Feedback: factual

a. Preference

b. Information

c. Access

d. Temporary restraint

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 18

18) The basic argument behind The Rational Public is that _______ moves in coherent, stable ways that signal shared views.

Feedback: factual

a. polling

b. voting

c. public opinion

d. democracy

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 19

19) Which book makes the argument that, taken together, the views of a random collection of people add up to a rational public?

Feedback: factual

a. The Wisdom of Crowds

b. The American Voter

c. The Informed Public

d. The Rationale of Crowds

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 20

20) What term describes the tendency among a small group of decision makers to converge on a shared set of views?

Feedback: factual

a. Like-mindedness

b. Groupthink

c. Shared outlook

d. None of these

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 21

21) All of the following encourage creative thinking and solutions to policy problems except

Feedback: conceptual

a. groupthink.

b. random selection of participants.

c. open dialogue.

d. self-criticism.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 22

22) In order for public opinion to guide government, according to the authors, how many conditions must be met?

Feedback: factual

a. Three

b. Four

c. Five

d. Six

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 23

23) Public views are _______ followed blindly by politicians.

Feedback: conceptual

a. rarely

b. almost always

c. always

d. never

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 24

24) _______ research is defined as the systematic study of a defined population, analyzing a representative sample’s views to draw inferences about the larger population’s views.

Feedback: factual

a. Survey

b. Qualitative

c. In-person

d. Random-digit dialing

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 25

25) “Eighty percent of Americans support the president” is an example of what type of rating?

Feedback: applied

a. Campaign

b. Approval

c. Establishment

d. None of these

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 26

26) The amount spent by American politicians on pollsters is _______ the amounts spent by the leaders of other nations.

Feedback: factual

a. less than

b. more than

c. about the same as

d. not comparable to

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 27

27) Public opinion is often viewed as

Feedback: conceptual

a. unreliable.

b. reliable.

c. changeable.

d. available for purchase.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 28

28) Popular views help identify the _______, which includes the issues that the public considers important.

Feedback: factual

a. agenda

b. framework

c. legitimation of policy

d. evaluation of policy

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 29

29) Members of Congress are often _______ to legislate in the face of strong popular opposition.

Feedback: conceptual

a. reluctant

b. likely

c. willing

d. required

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 30

30) President Trump’s tweets are followed by millions and help shape

Feedback: factual

a. congressional votes.

b. political campaigns.

c. supporters’ views.

d. opponents’ voting patterns

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 31

31) A sampling _______ is a designated group of people from whom poll respondents are randomly selected.

Feedback: factual

a. frame

b. error

c. measure

d. statistic

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 32

32) The sampling frame in a public survey should represent the characteristics of the _______ for conclusions to be drawn about this group.

Feedback: factual

a. population

b. sample

c. random sample

d. stratified sample

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 33

33) _______ voters are those who will probably turn out in an upcoming election.

Feedback: factual

a. Likely

b. Registered

c. Campaign-friendly

d. Committed

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 34

34) Generally, the closer to Election Day a poll is taken, the _______ it is.

Feedback: applied

a. less accurate

b. more accurate

c. less rigorous

d. more rigorous

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 35

35) Generally, the further away from Election Day a poll is taken, the _______ it is.

Feedback: factual

a. less accurate

b. more accurate

c. less rigorous

d. more rigorous

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 36

36) According to the text, polls targeting _______ voters more accurately predict the outcome of most elections.

Feedback: conceptual

a. likely

b. registered

c. campaign-friendly

d. committed

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 37

37) Asking people to respond to a poll on a Friday night demonstrates lack of consideration of which principle of polling?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Location

b. Timing

c. Proximity

d. Courteousness

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 38

38) Framing effects relate to the _______ of a question.

Feedback: conceptual

a. wording

b. punctuation

c. spelling

d. content

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 39

39) _______ effects are the influences on respondents of how a polling question is asked.

Feedback: factual

a. Framing

b. Scaling

c. Sampling

d. Falsifying

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 40

40) A survey question asking people to choose between a tax cut and “funding new government programs” or a tax cut and “programs on education and the environment” is an example of

Feedback: factual

a. framing

b. scaling

c. sampling

d. falsifying

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 41

41) A _______ poll is a form of negative campaigning that masquerades as a regular opinion survey.

Feedback: conceptual

a. survey research

b. partial

c. push

d. pull

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 42

42) What is considered the polling gold standard?

Feedback: factual

a. Random sample

b. Self-selected sample

c. Semi-random sample

d. Weighted sample

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 43

43) Samples of the population should be _______ of that population.

Feedback: factual

a. representative

b. suggestive

c. independent

d. respectful

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 44

44) Today, more than _______ of Americans rely on mobile phones.

Feedback: conceptual

a. 50 percent

b. 47 percent

c. 54 percent

d. 65 percent

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 45

45) A margin of error of 3 percent on a 50 percent approval rating is an approval rating of

Feedback: conceptual

a. 50 percent

b. 47 to 53 percent

c. 3 percent

d. 30 to 50 percent

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 46

46) A margin of sampling _______ is a statistical calculation for how accurate a poll’s results are.

Feedback: factual

a. error

b. analysis

c. bias

d. framework

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 47

47) As a general rule, the larger the sample size, the _______ the margin of sampling error.

Feedback: conceptual

a. larger

b. smaller

c. less affected

d. less important

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 48

48) The margin of sampling error is the degree of _______ of a poll.

Feedback: factual

a. randomness

b. inaccuracy

c. representativeness

d. response bias

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 49

49) If you surveyed every individual in a population, the margin of error would be

Feedback: applied

a. 0 percent.

b. 1 percent.

c. 3 percent.

d. 5 percent.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 50

50) _______ bias is the tendency of poll respondents to misstate their views, frequently to avoid expressing “shameful” opinions.

Feedback: factual

a. Selection

b. Response

c. Sampling error

d. Random error

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 51

51) What bias reflects a respondent’s desire to answer a question in a way that is “acceptable”?

Feedback: factual

a. Random error

b. Response

c. Sampling error

d. Selection

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 52

52) The Bradley effect is a response bias based on

Feedback: conceptual

a. age.

b. race.

c. income.

d. sexual orientation.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 53

53) The apparent inclination of some survey respondents to avoid appearing racist or racially motivated is known as the _______ effect.

Feedback: factual

a. Bradford

b. Bradley

c. Miranda

d. poor sampling

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 54

54) What magazine used polling to predict presidential elections and predicted the wrong winner in 1936?

Feedback: factual

a. Literary Digest

b. Readers Digest

c. Good Housekeeping

d. Political Digest

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 55

55) The Literary Digest started polling to predict presidential elections in what year?

Feedback: factual

a. 1910

b. 1920

c. 1950

d. 1951

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 56

56) Pollsters predicted that who would win the presidential race in 2016?

Feedback: factual

a. Clinton

b. Trump

c. Sanders

d. Obama

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 57

57) The Literary Digest incorrectly predicted that who would lose in 1936?

Feedback: factual

a. Franklin D. Roosevelt

b. Woodrow Wilson

c. Warren Harding

d. John Kennedy

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 58

58) What contributed to the incorrect prediction from the Literary Digest poll during President Franklin Roosevelt’s election?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Sampling frame

b. Response bias

c. Oversampling

d. None of these

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 59

59) Converse found that when people were asked same question at different times, their answers tended to

Feedback: factual

a. change.

b. remain similar.

c. reverse direction.

d. remain exactly the same.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 60

60) Cues gained from everyday life are known as which of the following?

Feedback: factual

a. Information shortcuts

b. Details

c. Information cues

d. None of these

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 61

61) What percentage of the “Silent Generation” approve of marijuana legalization?

Feedback: factual

a. 71 percent

b. 35 percent

c. 20 percent

d. 25 percent

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 62

62) What percentage of millennials believe that abortions should be legal?

Feedback: factual

a. 82 percent

b. 78 percent

c. 70 percent

d. 54 percent

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 63

63) What effect is demonstrated by people who want to hold the same views as the majority?

Feedback: factual

a. Bandwagon effect

b. Boomerang effect

c. Tiled-floor effect

d. “Golden” effect

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 64

64) What effect is demonstrated when candidates who are leading in the polls tend to pick up support from voters who were undecided?

Feedback: factual

a. Bandwagon effect

b. Boomerang effect

c. Tiled-floor effect

d. Underdog effect

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 65

65) What effect is described as the discrepancy between candidates’ high poll ratings and election performance?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Bandwagon effect

b. Boomerang effect

c. Tiled-floor effect

d. “Golden” effect

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 66

66) When people do not vote because polls indicate that their candidate is in the lead, and their candidate then loses the election, which effect is shown?

Feedback: factual

a. Bandwagon effect

b. Boomerang effect

c. Tiled-floor effect

d. “Golden” effect

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 67

67) Most men lean _______ when voting.

Feedback: factual

a. Democrat

b. Republican

c. Libertarian

d. All parties equally

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 68

68) Political _______ are individuals who control significant wealth, status, power, or visibility and who consequently have significant influence over public debate.

Feedback: conceptual

a. elites

b. partisans

c. beginners

d. experts

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 69

69) The _______ public is the best source of democratic decision making.

Feedback: conceptual

a. irrational

b. innovative

c. rational

d. voting

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 70

70) Which of the following is most likely subject to groupthink?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Experts

b. Independent voters

c. Registered voters

d. None of these

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 71

71) How easy is it for people to convey their views to policymakers?

Feedback: factual

a. Very easy

b. Difficult

c. Somewhat easy

d. Impossible

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 72

72) Compared with American politicians, politicians in other nations devote _______ resources to polling.

Feedback: factual

a. more

b. fewer

c. about the same

d. more variable

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 73

73) _______ polls are conducted by a campaign as the race begins, and they provide a basis for comparison.

Feedback: applied

a. Benchmark

b. Response

c. Straw

d. Brushfire

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 74

74) What informal polls carried out by local party organizations or news outlets involve actual nonbinding votes cast by party members?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Benchmark

b. Straw

c. Brushfire

d. Response

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 75

75) Once an election begins, campaigns conduct internal surveys called polls.

Feedback: conceptual

a. benchmark.

b. straw.

c. brushfire.

d. response.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 76

76) Polls taken on Election Day are known as _______ polls.

Feedback: conceptual

a. benchmark

b. exit

c. brushfire

d. response

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 77

77) Media often rely on _______ polls to call election results.

Feedback: conceptual

a. benchmark

b. straw

c. brushfire

d. exit

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 78

78) When a party has its members vote unofficially to help determine who would win a primary, it is conducting a _______ poll.

Feedback: conceptual

a. benchmark

b. straw

c. brushfire

d. response

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 79

79) The first poll conducted by a campaign will likely be a _______ poll.

Feedback: conceptual

a. benchmark

b. straw

c. brushfire

d. response

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 80

80) Bad news from a poll is referred to as a

Feedback: conceptual

a. benchmark.

b. straw.

c. brushfire.

d. response.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 81

81) A 3 percent margin of error on a 50 percent approval rating means the actual rating could be as high as

Feedback: conceptual

a. 150 percent.

b. 53 percent.

c. 47 percent.

d. 15 percent.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 82

82) A 3 percent margin of error on a 50 percent approval rating means the actual rating could be as low as

Feedback: conceptual

a. 150 percent.

b. 53 percent.

c. 47 percent.

d. 15 percent.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 83

83) How accurate is an Internet poll in which respondents choose whether or not to respond?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Very accurate

b. Not very accurate

c. Depends on the website

d. Depends on the questions

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 84

84) What is a typical number of respondents for a national poll?

Feedback: conceptual

a. 200–600

b. 1,000–1,500

c. 5,000–6,500

d. 10,000+

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 85

85) As the number of respondents decreases, the margin of error

Feedback: conceptual

a. decreases.

b. increases.

c. remains the same.

d. is not affected.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 86

86) The Bradley effect was first seen in

Feedback: conceptual

a. Florida.

b. California.

c. Oregon.

d. Vermont.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 87

87) When people donate funds simply by pointing a mouse at a computer screen, they are practicing

Feedback: conceptual

a. clicktocracy.

b. clicktivism.

c. clicktograms.

d. clickticity.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 88

88) The first step in the voting process is

Feedback: factual

a. choosing a candidate.

b. registering.

c. choosing a party.

d. casting a vote.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 89

89) How many states allow same-day voting?

Feedback: factual

a. Thirteen

b. Fifteen

c. Twenty-one

d. Nineteen

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 90

90) If you fill out your ballot and mail it in along with most other voters in your state, you likely live in

Feedback: applied

a. New Hampshire.

b. Montana.

c. California.

d. Oregon.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 91

91) Sitting at a table on Election Day and verifying voter addresses is an example of

Feedback: conceptual

a. political participation.

b. direct action.

c. volunteer voting.

d. institutional participation.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 92

92) Standing on a street corner holding a political sign and waving at traffic is an example of

Feedback: applied

a. direct action.

b. electoral activities.

c. institutional participation.

d. political voice.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 93

93) Writing a letter to a state senator after the election is an example of

Feedback: conceptual

a. direct action.

b. electoral activities.

c. political voice.

d. institutional participation.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 94

94) Concerning which of the following topics can citizens use their political voice to contact government officials?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Potholes

b. Immigration policy

c. Nuclear-weapons agreements

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 95

95) Alexis de Tocqueville was impressed with Americans’ propensity to

Feedback: factual

a. vote.

b. write letters to the editor.

c. get involved.

d. ignore party politics.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 96

96) Taking time on Thanksgiving to serve food at a local women’s shelter is an example of

Feedback: applied

a. voluntary engagement.

b. direct action.

c. institutional engagement.

d. clicktocracy.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 97

97) When contacting government officials, it is important to

Feedback: conceptual

a. word the letter professionally.

b. contact the right official.

c. use enough postage.

d. send the letter via email.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 98

98) The most active group in U.S. history for volunteering their time are

Feedback: applied

a. Millennials.

b. Baby Boomers.

c. Generation X.

d. the Silent Generation.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 99

99) Discuss the concept of nonattitudes.

Feedback:

The term nonattitudes describes the lack of a stable perspective shown in people’s responses to opinion surveys. Their answers may be self-contradictory or display no ideological consistency.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 100

100) Explain the importance of the publication of The American Voter.

Feedback:

This publication shook confidence in the value of both public opinion and the scientific methods used to measure it. It showed that people know little about the positions either political party stands for or about the main policy issues of the time.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 101

101) Explain the importance of the publication of The Rational Public.

Feedback:

The Rational Public identified public opinion as a legitimate guide to policy making.

It made the case that collective opinion is the key to assessing popular preferences.

Information shortcuts result in coherent and stable views.

Collective opinion is useful only when public officials are attentive to it.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 102

102) What three conditions must be met for public opinion to guide government?

Feedback:

People must know what they want and guide government decisions.

The public must clearly communicate its desires to political leaders.

Political leaders must pay attention to public views and respond.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 103

103) Explain the concept of groupthink.

Feedback:

Groupthink is the tendency of a small group of decision makers to converge on a shared set of views.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 104

104) How does groupthink affect creativity?

Feedback:

Groupthink can limit creative thinking and solutions to policy problems.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 105

105) What does it mean when a president claims a mandate?

Feedback:

The president claims that his election gives him legitimate authority, sometimes on a specific policy issue.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 106

106) Explain the concept of survey research.

Feedback:

Survey research is the systematic study of a defined population, analyzing a representative sample’s views to draw inferences about the larger public’s views.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 107

107) What is an approval rating?

Feedback:

An approval rating is a measure of public support for a political figure or institution.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 108

108) What is the policy agenda, and how does polling relate to it?

Feedback:

The policy agenda is the issues that the public considers important, the media covers, and politicians discuss.

The agenda is often influenced by public opinion polls; if public opinion does not support an item, it is less likely to be on the agenda.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 109

109) What is a sampling frame?

Feedback:

A sampling frame is a designated group of people from whom a set of poll respondents is randomly selected.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 110

110) What should a sampling frame represent?

Feedback:

A sampling frame should represent the population and its diverse demographic groups.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 111

111) Why do pollsters trying to predict electoral outcomes prefer likely voters?

Feedback:

Likely voters are preferred because they more accurately predict the outcome of most elections.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 112

112) What are framing effects?

Feedback:

Framing effects reflect the influence on respondents of how a polling question is asked, since changes in wording can significantly alter many people’s answers.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 113

113) What is the gold standard in polling?

Feedback:

A randomly selected sample.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 114

114) What is the margin of sampling error?

Feedback:

The margin of sampling error is the degree of inaccuracy in any poll arising from the fact that surveys involve a sample of respondents from a population rather than every member.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 115

115) Explain the concept of response bias.

Feedback:

Response bias occurs when poll takers provide responses that they think the pollster wants, or when poll respondents misstate their views to avoid “shameful” opinions like sexism or racism.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 116

116) How do family and friends affect political socialization?

Feedback:

Young people absorb the political attitudes of their parents and caregivers.

Political ideas from friends can their change views.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 117

117) Discuss the importance of What’s the Matter with Kansas?

Feedback:

Disproves the idea that voters vote for self-interest.

Uses Kansas voters as an example of a state voting against its own self-interest.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 118

118) What went wrong with the Literary Digest poll in 1936?

Feedback:

Polled only elite voters.

Limited group: many readers of the magazine were wealthy in 1936 in spite of the Depression.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 119

119) Discuss the biggest polling blooper of recent years.

Feedback:

2016 Presidential election.

Hillary Clinton had a solid lead in polls but lost the election.

Many polls were national rather than state by state. Clinton won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote, which is done by state by state.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 120

120) Compare the ideas from The American Voter and The Rational Public.

Feedback:

The American Voter was critical of voter knowledge and the usefulness of public opinion polls and research.

The Rational Public said public opinion polls are a reasonable guide to governance.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 121

121) Discuss the three principles in The Rational Public.

Feedback:

Collective opinion is the key to assessing popular preferences.

Most people use information shortcuts to arrive at reasonable judgments about politics and government.

Collective opinion is useful only when public officials are attentive to it.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 122

122) What is a good sampling frame for a poll?

Feedback:

A good sampling frame is representative of the population, including the demographic groups that the population includes.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 123

123) What are framing effects, and how can they be addressed?

Feedback:

Framing effects reflect the influence on respondents of how a polling question is asked; changes in wording can significantly alter many people’s answer.

Questions should be asked in a neutral way and should not be asked multiple times in different orders.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 124

124) What is a push poll, and what are issues in interpretation of such a poll?

Feedback:

Push polls are a form of negative campaigning that masquerades as a regular opinion survey.

These polls are often biased and not scientific, and their interpretation should reflect their limits.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 125

125) Compare the bandwagon and boomerang effects relating to opinion polling.

Feedback:

The bandwagon effect occurs when candidates who are leading the polls pick up support from voters who were undecided.

The boomerang effect describes the discrepancy between candidates’ high poll ratings and election performance; this effect occurs because supporters assume that an easy win means they need not turn out on Election Day.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 126

126) Discuss three different types of polls and how they are used.

Feedback:

Benchmark polls: conducted as race begins.

Straw polls: informal polls.

Brushfire polls: internal surveys.

Exit polls: performed on Election Day.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 06 Question 127

127) Discuss the process of voting. How does each step in the process encourage or discourage voting?

Feedback:

Register to vote.

Motor Voter Law.

Cast vote.