Mass Media and Public Opinion Chapter 8
Public Opinion/Mood What issues are the public interested in at the moment? What do you think the general mood of the population is on those issues? How do we decide which are the most important? And which require government intervention?
Public Opinion ideas/attitudes most people hold about an issue or person Why is it important? 1. shapes presidential decisions/ actions 2. shapes public policy 3. Not uniform and/or unstable (especially with respect to candidates)
Different Publics Public opinion in the United States is typically divided. Any given public issue is likely to have separate groups with their own points of view. In addition, people disagree about which public issues are important. Few issues capture the attention of all Americans. Most issues are of little interest to the majority.
The Formation of Public Opinion Public opinion is only concerned with public affairs Public affairs; those events and issues that concern the people at large. Though often there is overlap such as abortion and LGBT rights. What factors influence the formation of opinion?
Public Opinion is formed through life experiences Political Socialization preformed by: Family Parents beliefs build a foundation of views on political beliefs in their children (included are religion and culture/ethnicity) The Schools Used to indoctrinate students to become good citizens Family and Schools considered most significant Peer Groups Made up of the people with whom one regularly associates friends, classmates, neighbors, and co-workers reinforces what a person has already come to believe most tend to share the same belief on public issues Opinion Leaders: a person who has a strong influence on the views of others. Historic Events: Great Depression, Civil Rights movement, $700 Billion bailout, Watergate.
Mass Media Those means of communication that reach large, widely dispersed audiences (masses of people) simultaneously TV and Internet the most common form of Mass Media News Media: Organizations whose primary purpose is to inform the public What is the major claim of the video? How can the media influence public opinion?
The influence of media Media is most often thought of as the news media Anything made for mass consumption has an influence upon us. The truth is that media takes many forms. Entertainment media is often pointed to as a strong influence on our culture From Rock n Roll and Rap Music to Mob movies and video games Sports/commercials/print ads
The Beautiful People And I don't want you and I don't need you Don't bother to resist, or I'll beat you It's not your fault that you're always wrong The weak ones are there to justify the strong The beautiful people, the beautiful people It's all relative to the size of your steeple You can't see the forest for the trees You can't smell your own shit on your knees There's no time to discriminate, Hate every motherfucker That's in your way The worms will live in every host It's hard to pick which one they eat most The horrible people, the horrible people It's as anatomic as the size of your steeple Capitalism has made it this way, Old-fashioned fascism will take it away There's no time to discriminate, Hate every motherfucker That's in your way The beautiful people Hey you, what do you see? Something beautiful, something free? Hey you, are you trying to be mean? If you live with apes man, it's hard to be clean
Media influence cont.
All of these influences play out in our political thought The Political Spectrum People who have similar opinions on political issues are generally grouped according to whether they are left, right, or center on the political spectrum.
Chapter 8 Section 2 MEASURING PUBLIC OPINION
Public Opinion How might the responses shown on this 2008 chart about the most important public issues change in 2015?
Polls The Best Measure Public opinion polls Devices that attempt to collect information by asking people questions Straw Votes Polls that seek to read the public s mind simply by asking the same question to a large number of people highly unreliable does not make sure that the sample is an accurate cross-section of the population 1936 election and Library Digest mishap http://www.math.upenn.edu/ ~deturck/m170/wk4/lecture/ case1.html Scientific Polling Serious efforts to take the public pulse on a scientific basis date from the 1930s. There are now more than 1,000 national and regional polling organizations in this country, with at least 200 of these polling political preferences.
Iowa Straw Poll
Polls The Best Measure Scientific Polling George Gallup and Elmo Roper have helped polls to become highly sophisticated level Best pollsters today are Gallup Organization and Louis Harris Associates http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx
Characteristics of Good Public Opinion Poll Uses random samples Trying to get a representation of the entire population Unbiased No leading questions that get the result one is looking for Specific Try to eliminate need for interpretation
The Polling Process Defining the Universe: Population the poll aims to measure. Constructing a Sample: a representative slice of the whole universe. Random individuals from random places Preparing Valid Questions: avoid wording questions with emotionally charged words. Interviewing: many are face to face, but in more recent times moved to email, mail, and telephone. Analyze the Report Findings: modern days done with computers and other technologies.
Polling Process Defining the Universe Universe means the whole population that the poll aims to measure Constructing a Sample To poll the entire universe is very difficult, and often impossible Must select a sample representative slice of the total universe
Polling Process (Con t) Constructing Sample (Con t) Random sample a probability sample Generally national polls only are represented by about 1,500 people Mathematics tells us that 1,500 people selected randomly, can give you the probability to have an accurate poll (+/- 3%) Quota sample sample deliberately constructed to reflect several of the major characteristics of a given universe
Limits on the Impact of Public Opinion Polls must be evaluated for their accuracy. Polls are not elections! It is also important how a poll is recorded
Measuring Public Opinion Elections Votes cast for the various candidates are regularly taken as evidence of the people s approval Mandate instructions or commands a constituency gives to its elected officials However an election very likely does not give mandates from the public Interest Groups Private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape the making and the content of public policy Chief means through which public opinion is made known Personal Contacts Public Administrators receiving calls, mail, emails, or through meetings however tend to only find views that support and agree with their own views
The Media The Media Considered many times as mirrors and/or molders of public opinion However they are not very accurate mirrors of public opinion, often reflecting only the views of a vocal minority Notice that the media is a factor in forming opinions and measuring them Not always good indicators of public opinion. The media can set the agenda and frame the story Ferguson Ebola
Chapter 8 Section 3 THE MASS MEDIA
Media Statistics Access to media varies from country to country.
The Media and Politics The Public Agenda The media play a very large role in shaping the public agenda, the societal problems that political leaders and citizens agree need government attention. It is not correct that the media tell the people what to think; but it is clear that they tell the people what to think about. Electoral Politics Today, television allows candidates to appeal directly to the people, without the help of a party organization. Candidates regularly try to use media coverage to their advantage. Newscasts featuring candidates are usually short, sharply focused sound bites snappy reports that can be aired in 30 to 45 seconds.
The Media and Politics The Three Roles of the Media 1. Watchdog The media often reveals waste in government, wrongdoing by officials, or problems in American society. 2. Gatekeeper The media helps to create the public agenda, or those issues that people pay attention to. Sometimes this causes the public to pay attention to issues that aren t all that important. They also help determine which candidates get attention 3. Scorekeeper Keeps track of who is ahead in the polls, where politicians go to deliver speeches, who won elections, etc.
Media Influence on Politics Media Attention Public Concern Govern t Attention Public Agenda Public Agenda: problems that receive the most time, money, and effort from government leaders Leaks: officials may leak info to test public reaction
Protecting the Media 1st Amendment protects freedom of the press/ speech freedom from prior restraint (government censorship of material before it is published) Freedom with Limits Libel (prove malice) Protecting Sources National Security Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The Role of Mass Media A medium is a means of communication; it transmits some kind of information. Four major mass media are particularly important in American politics:
The Role of Mass Media (Con t) Radio Still considered one of the top sources of information Generally lean Republican However, NPR leans Democratic Magazines Wide ranging and often specialized/specific Newsweek-Time-Us Very broad ranging Vibe-Better Homes and Garden-Scientific America The Economist-National Revue-The Nation
Television 98% of homes in the U.S. have at least one television. Major news networks. CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, C-Span, PBS Local News
Internet Highly used in the most recent campaign Even local elections used internet Facebook, MySpace, blogs, and many more. 24% got their news here in 2008, 9% in 2000
Social Media
Limits on Media Influence on Politics People do not follow political events very closely. Estimates of around 10-15% of those voting are well informed. Broadcast news is quick and hard hitting, newspapers more detailed, but less used The biggest difficulty is obtaining good information. The manipulation of information Noam Chomsky: Manufacturing Consent
Social Commentary Comedians serve as a sounding board on a myriad of social issues Comedians raise issues and push the boundaries of the popular discussion