Ch. 8 Public Opinion and Voting vocabulary

the views of the citizenry about politics, public issues, and public policies; a complex collection of opinions held by many people on issues in the public area.

a survey of the public's opinion on a particular topic at a particular moment.

in the context of opinion polling, a group of people selected to represent the population being studied.

• a nonscientific poll in which there is no way to ensure that the opinions expressed are representative of the larger population.
• (ex: interview a couple of people on the street)

a poll sample that does not accurately represent the population.

in the context of opinion polling, a sample in which each person within the entire population being polled has an equal chance of being chosen.

in the context of opinion polling, the difference between what the sample results show and what the true results would have been had everybody in the relevant population been interviewed.

a campaign tactic used to feed false or misleading information to potential voters, under the guise of taking an opinion poll, with the intent to "push" voters away from one candidate and toward another.

the learning process through which most people acquire their political attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and knowledge.

people and institutions that influence the political views of others.

newspapers, magazines, television, radio, the internet, and any other printed or electronic means of communication.

associates, often close in age to one another; may include friends, classmates, co-workers, club members, or religious group members.

the difference between the percentage of votes cast for a particular candidate by women and the percentage of votes cast for the same candidate by men.

a term used to describe the tendency of the southern states to vote Democratic after the Civil War.

a test given to voters to ensure that they could read and write and thus evaluate political information. This technique was used in many southern states to restrict African American participation in elections.

a fee of several dollars that had to be paid before a person could vote. This device was used in some southern states to discourage African Americans and low-income whites from voting.

a clause in a state law that had the effect of restricting voting rights to those whose ancestors  had voted before the 1860s. It was one of the techniques used in the South to prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote.

a primary election in which African Americans were prohibited from voting. The practice was banned by the Supreme Court in 1944.

the number of people residing in the United States who are at least eighteen years old.

the number of people who are actually eligible to vote in an American election.

Literary Digest poll predicted Landon would beat Roosevelt in 1936... it was biased. (Only wealthier people could subscribe to the Literary Digest)

• -race
• -education
• -income
• -age
• -religion
• -etc