2.1: Political Opinion and Political Socialization
Read this chapter.
Read this brief list of questions, which will be addressed over the course of Unit 2. You should use this list as a guide to each subunit. At the end of each unit, use it as a resource to review important terms and concepts.
2.1.1: Defining and Measuring Public Opinion
This lecture discusses public opinion and political socialization. Public opinion is a complex phenomenon, and scholars have developed a variety of interpretations of what public opinion means. Political socialization is a process by which people develop the attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors that are conducive to becoming good citizens. This lecture also notes how many people's understanding of the political world comes through their exposure to and interaction with the media.
Read this chapter, which examines public opinion - what it is, what it measures, and how it has evolved - and makes a case for the importance of public opinion in a democracy. This chapter also addresses the increasingly complicated relationship between the media and public opinion.
2.1.2: Polling and Public Opinion
Public opinion polls are often used in order to gauge a candidate's public appeal. Read this article to learn more about America's fascination with public opinion polls and how these polls influence elections. The author makes a strong case regarding the need for polls, stating that they perform the important function of revealing the innermost thoughts, feelings, biases, values, and behaviors of the body politic. Do you agree or disagree with this assertion?
2.1.3: American Political Culture and Ideology
Read this article, which defines several types of political ideology.
Checkpoint
Answer these ungraded questions to see how well you have understood the course material in this section.