Media and Public Opinion

What is the Mass Media?

The mass media are ways that information can be sent to a large audience.

Mass media includes newspapers, tv, radio, the internet, magazines, pop music, movies, etc.

Mass media is usually targeted to a specific audience to give a specific message.

What is Public Opinion?

The public opinion is the ideas felt by the population en masse or in a specific group of people.

“The public” holds different opinions on things depending on how an issue is framed up.

Public opinion can be charted in polls, party membership, voter turnouts, protests, meetings, etc.

Can be multiple “publics”…even within a public.

The Political Spectrum

Radical—Liberal—Moderate—Conservative—Reactionary

People who are called radicals or liberals are said to be on the “left”. They believe the government should be the focal point of change in this country.

The “middle”, called moderate, holds views and opinions from both sides.

Conservatives and reactionaries are on the “right”. They favor to keep things the same or restore things to a “better time”.

Family and Education

Attitudes are shaped while we are younger from those around us.

Our parents and our teachers help to shape many of our political thoughts.

Our political opinions and ideals, however, do evolve over our lifetime.

From parents, we learn right from wrong.

From schools, we learn about fitting in and the greater world around us.

Peer Groups

Are people we normally associate with, be it at school, in the neighborhood, or at work.

Belonging to a group reinforces many of the things we believe.

Many people tailor their political beliefs to match that of the group or seek out like minded groups.

Question Time

1. Define mass media.

2. Define public opinion.

3. Where on the political spectrum do you think you lie on? Why?

4. Why do parents and peer groups have so much influence on a person’s political outlook?

Opinion Leaders

Opinion leaders help to shape the political landscape.

They are a distinct minority of the population, but shape the greater flow of politics because they are a loud voice and cause controversy.

Many of the modern political influences come from these leaders.

Other leaders can be politicians.

Historic Events

Sometimes historic events can help to shape public opinion: Great Depression, Watergate.

Wars can be divisive or uniting: Civil War, World War II, Vietnam, War on Terror.

Some leaders can be inspirational: JFK, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan.

Others can be detrimental: George W. Bush, Newt Gingrich, Nancy Pelosi.

Measuring Public Opinion

There are various ways to measure public opinion.

Voter turnout can either show support or opposition to a political leader/party.

Protests and demonstrations are good factors.

Polls can show, generally, how the public’s mood tends to be.

What is an Interest Group?

An interest group is a private organization that is united for a common purpose or cause.

These groups help to shape public policy and push certain issues to the forefront.

They can help generate public support/opposite, command lots of money, or garner lots of media attention.

Special interest groups help form public opinion on key issues.

Question Time

5. How can historic events change someone’s political views?

6. Who are opinion leaders and why do they matter?

7. What is a public interest group?

Polls

Public opinion is often studied with polls, a random sampling of the population.

Some polls are more scientific and accurate than others.

Straw votes are a type of poll that ask the same question to a wide audience. However, it is unreliable because it can be shaped only by the audience that the questioner reaches.

Scientific polls, like Gallup, take a random sampling of a population.

How to Conduct a Poll

First define your population (all Americans, Phillies Phans, Republicans, residents of Hancock, NY, etc.)

Take a small part of that universe (like 150 people out of a town of 1500. This is called a sample.

A random sample is just that, a randomly selected group of people.

Another sample is a quota sample. If Asians are 15% of the population, you will interview 15% of the total number sampled as Asians.

Prepare valid questions. How to interview: in person, door to door, on the

phone, through a mailing.

Evaluating Polls

Are they reliable? Are they scientific? Are they fair?

Were the questions loaded or objective?

Do polls really tell how the population is thinking and feeling?

Poll crashing. Exit poll accuracy.

Effects of Polls on Public Opinion

Some people will vote based on who is winning in the polls. Nobody likes a loser.

Some politicians will tailor their campaigns to meet the poll numbers.

Too much emphasis placed in polls? Too much reliance placed on them by

news sources.

The Role Mass Media Has on Society

Yellow Journalism and the muckrakers FDR and the Fireside Chats. JFK and Nixon on TV. Ronald Reagan and Clinton on TV. Role of Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN.

The Role Mass Media Has on Society

Mass media has helped to start wars (Spanish American, War in Iraq) and turn public against it (Vietnam, War in Iraq).

Mass media has built up politicians and then broken them apart.

Mass media has uncovered many scandals by politicians.

Mass media helps to force issues on the public (gay rights, child labor, civil rights, the Progressive Era, etc.)

The Role Mass Media Has on Politics

Mass media serves as a watchdog against politicians and parties.

As newspapers fall away, internet blogs and newssites have picked up the slack.

Mass media only works if people believe it. Mass media also needs facts to back it up. Media bias can hinder how people see it. Sounds bites don’t tell the whole story. Mass media is also limited to its targeted

audience

Question Time

8. How does the media affect political thought?

9. How are polls conducted?

10. What affect do polls have on the public?