Public opinion

Representation of Public Opinion: Probability and Nonprobability Survey Literary Digest had correctly predicted the presidential election of four candidates using a straw poll. In the 1936 election Literary Digest predicted Republican Alfred Landon would beat incumbent Roosevelt by a landslide. The poll used data from its own users, a list of registered automobile owners, and telephone users. The Digest population was two things; wealthy in the middle of the Great Depression and Republican. The poll had effectively excluded the poor and Democrats. The false prediction of the 1936 election by the Literary Digest ushered in the era of modern public opinion polls, as George Gallup correctly predicted Franklin Roosevelt win using a probability…

In order for public opinion to be accurately assessed, a proper definition of the term must first be achieved. While polling and surveys might attempt to conclude what the public’s viewpoints are on a topic, they fail to actually define what public opinion is. Political analysts Blumer, Lippman, Converse, and Herbst each formulate their own viewpoints on public opinion and the role of polling for assessing opinion. Each author views public opinion in a different role and believes that polling…

Public Opinion Surveys Public opinion surveys, or polls, are exactly what they sound like; a survey that asks the public their opinion on a topic. Polls are a form of inductive generalization because they gather information from a number of people and generalize their findings to cover the rest of the population. With that said, polls are used specifically for this purpose, which we can see in the media every day. One of the largest problems with the polls we see every day is that the details…

The Semi-Sacred Role of Public Opinion in the United States Public opinion is a collection of individual opinions and reflects majority beliefs. This means that one must interview different individuals and add their opinions in order to have a public opinion. Public opinion is a reflection of the beliefs of the majority in that it is based on what majority of the people think (Glynn, Herbst, Okeefe and Shapiro, p. 11). Opinions of friends, neighbours and co-workers are reported in such a way…

candidates on the basis of bridging public policy and public preferences. Therefore, policy representation not only falls on the behavior of the voters, but also the politicians themselves. In Erikson and Tedin’s American Public Opinion: Its Origins, Content and Impact, chapter 10 explores the four models the policy-makers’ behavior including, the sharing model, where representation is made possible due to the fact that politicians are drawn from the same culture as their constituents.…

Question 3 a) Public opinion is as important as the goals of any public organization due to the influence it has on managers and their abilities to deliver. Public opinion can either be positive or negative, but the managers have control over what type of opinion he/she creates about his/ her organization in the eyes of the public. Public opinion may have formal or informal authority that allows it to exert such influence. Formally, a public manager would seek a public opinion through a poll or…

Although American society is drastically changing every day, one aspect of American culture continues to provide the U.S. government with vital information about U.S. officials, particularly public opinion. Public opinion “consists of the views held by the population of a state that influence those in power” (SparkNotes Editors). According to Willam Biano and David Cano in American Politics Today, public opinion matters for three reasons: (1) citizens’ political actions are driven by their…

Public opinion defines the aggregate views, attitudes or beliefs held by the society concerning certain aspects or topics (Soroka, & Wlezien, 2010). Public opinion is very relevant in the American society since the political moves, actions and decisions are shaped by their opinions on various aspects of the government (Cohen, 2006). Further, it is prudent to recognize that public opinion is crucial in the explanation of the manner in which political parties, candidates and the political arena…

An opinion is created no matter the case when it comes to politics. Even if the person states, “I choose to have no preference in politics,” that is his or her opinion. Now, on important subjects to have an opinion about, politics can be considered one of the most important when it comes to American society. The people of America have a civil duty to use their political opinions to affect the future of Western civilization. The term for the summary of everyone’s opinion is called public opinion,…

Napoleon definitely wanted to establish a state system of public education. This would mean that schools would be managed and run by the state instead of the church and the education would be paid for by the state. This would allow him a better selection of future officials to choose from; the secular curriculum would make sure of that. Education would also teach the young obedience and authority, both were high points for Napoleon. The University of France was eventually created by Napoleon as…