People and Their Opinions.

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Preface -- About the Authors -- Chapter 1 Introduction: The Nature of Public Opinion -- What Is Public Opinion? -- Types of Public Opinion -- A Case in Point 1.1: Elitist Commentators or Next-Door Neighbors? -- Public Opinion and Society -- Social Value of Opinion Polls -- Practical Value -- Comparative Value -- A Case in Point 1.2: Specific Opinions on Particular Policies -- A Case in Point 1.3: When Pollsters and Their Sponsors "Go Wrong" -- Political and Ideological Value -- Overall Resistance to Polling -- Government: Does Public Opinion Matter? -- Two Views on Government and Polls -- A Topic for Class Discussion: Factors Mediating Public Opinion's Influence on Policy -- Political Structure: Institutions and Communications -- Political Landscape and Elections -- Political Participation -- Assignment 1.1: Proliferating Information Sources -- Chapter Summary -- Definitions of Key Terms -- Chapter 2 Measurement of Opinion -- Measurement and Human Expression -- Steps in Survey Research -- Sample Selection -- Types of Sampling -- Sampling Error -- Sampling and Accuracy of Polls -- A Case in Point 2.1: The 1948 Polling Disaster -- A Case in Point 2.2: The Use of Nonrepresentative Samples -- Looking for Linkages -- Surveys -- Survey Questions -- Structure and Order of Questions -- A Case in Point 2.3: The Way Questions Are Asked -- Hazy, Knotty, Corny, and Other Bad Questions -- Question Translation -- Non-Survey Methods -- Experiment -- Content Analysis -- Focus Groups -- Meta-Analysis: Research on Research -- Qualitative Approaches -- A Case in Point 2.4: Culture-Bound Surveys -- Assignment 2.1: Problems with Questions -- Assignment 2.2: Errors in Sampling -- Chapter Summary -- Definitions of Key Terms -- Chapter 3 Thinking Critically About People's Opinions.

Critical Thinking about Polls -- Thinking About a Survey's Context -- Circumstances Surrounding a Survey -- The Way the Question Is Asked -- Thinking About Bias in Survey Interpretation -- Be Aware of Your Own Prejudgments -- Be Aware of Respondents' Assumptions -- A Topic for Class Discussion: "Right" and "Wrong" Issues -- Wording: Look Critically at Descriptions -- Pay Attention to Labels -- Question Secondary Sources -- Be Aware of Dichotomous and Continuous Variables -- A Case in Point 3.1: Headlines About Survey Results -- Explanations: Understanding Sources of Opinions -- Know How to Interpret Correlations and Co-appearances -- Look for Many Causes -- A Case in Point 3.2: What the "Average" American Thinks About Correlation and Causation -- Assignment 3.1: Similarities and Differences -- Chapter Summary -- Definitions of Key Terms -- Chapter 4 Attitudes and Opinions -- The Nature of Attitudes -- A Case in Point 4.1: Culture and Attitudes -- Beliefs -- Values -- Attitudes: Approaches to Understanding -- The Cognitive Approach -- Attitude Accessibility Theories -- A Case in Point 4.2: The Art of Asking Questions -- Cognitive Balance Theories -- Attitudes Expressed via Balanced Responses -- Dogmatism -- The Regulatory-Adaptation Approach -- Attitudes as Learned Reactions -- The Rational Actor Approach -- A Topic for Class Discussion: Difficult Choices -- Attitudes as Temporary Constructions -- The Regulatory Model of Attitude Expression -- Thinking Critically About Attitudes -- The Context -- Bias -- Wording and Labeling -- Explanations: Causes and Reasons -- Assignment 4.1: Patterns in Opinion Formation -- Assignment 4.2: Cognitive Dissonance -- Chapter Summary -- Definitions of Key Terms -- Chapter 5 Political Socialization -- What Is Political Socialization? -- Stages of Political Socialization: Childhood -- Learning About Politics.

Family and Political Socialization -- A Case in Point 5.1: Political Efficacy -- Adolescence -- Adulthood -- Quality of Life -- A Case in Point 5.2: The Generation Gap -- Materialist and Post-materialist Values -- A Case in Point 5.3: Mario's Revolution -- The Impact of Environment -- Psychological Theories -- A Topic for Class Discussion: Insecurity and Values -- Stages of Moral Judgment -- Education and Political Socialization -- Thinking Critically About Political Socialization -- Assignment 5.1: Birth Order -- Assignment 5.2: Attitudes of Teenagers and Their Parents -- Chapter Summary -- Definitions of Key Terms -- Chapter 6 The Media and Opinions -- The Media Factor -- The Media and Access to Information: The Right to Censor? -- Political Censorship -- Ideological Censorship -- Moral Censorship -- A Case in Point 6.1: Censorship in the Egyptian Media -- What Is Reported? -- Direct Impact -- Name Recognition and Sensationalism -- Interpretation of Events -- Extraordinary Events -- How News Spreads -- Agenda Setting -- Media Frames -- A Case in Point 6.2: Quantitative Framing or "Misframing" -- Political Bias -- A Case in Point 6.3: Partisan Media? -- The Media Impact -- Media: A Significant Impact -- Short-Term Effects -- Media: The Impact Is Exaggerated -- The Media Impact: Critical Thinking Evaluations -- Direct Exposure to Issues -- Previous Commitments -- Knowledge and Education -- The Communicator's Features -- The Overall Impact of the Media -- Assignment 6.1: Beer Commercials -- Chapter Summary -- Definitions of Key Terms -- Chapter 7 Gender and Opinions -- Gender Gap -- Contemporary Polls and the Gender Gap -- A Case in Point 7.1: The Gender Gap in Surveys of Other Countries -- A Case in Point 7.2: Women and the Use of Military Force -- Understanding the Gap: A Sociological Approach -- Sociobiology: A Destined Future?.

Gender Socialization -- A Case in Point 7.3: Interpreting Results from the Past -- Once Again, Inequality -- A Topic for Class Discussion: Economic Influences on Preferences -- Gender Gap: Thinking Critically -- Explanations -- Bias -- Wording -- Context -- Assignment 7.1: Social Dominance and Gender -- Chapter Summary -- Definitions of Key Terms -- Chater 8 Social Class and Opinions -- Class and Social Background -- Social Class as a Concept -- Class Stratification -- Social Class Attitude Gaps -- A Topic for Class Discussion: Income and Attitudes About Foreign Policy -- Social Class, Economic Inequality, and Attitudes -- A Case in Point 8.1: The Information Rich and the Information Poor -- Class-related Interests -- Perception of Economic Changes -- Perceptions of Merit and Fairness -- Class-related Antagonism -- Self-identity and Other Psychological Factors -- Access to Information -- Occupation and Opinions -- A Case in Point 8.2: Selected Attitudes According to Region of Residence -- Work Engagement, Attitudes, and Participation -- A Case in Point 8.3: A Study of Military Professionals -- Thinking Critically About Social Class and Opinions -- Wording and Labeling -- Context -- Explanations -- Bias -- Assignment 8.1: Class Interests in Political Rhetoric -- Chapter Summary -- Definitions of Key Terms -- Chapter 9 Race, Ethnicity, Religion, and Opinions -- Culture: Ethnicity, Race, and Religion -- The Diversity of Opinions -- Blacks -- A Case in Point 9.1: Perception of Discrimination -- Hispanics -- Asians -- Religion and Attitudes -- Catholics and Protestants -- Jews -- Muslims -- Theories of Differences -- The Social Power Perspective -- A Case in Point 9.2: Black Support of Political Parties -- Theories of Cultural Prejudice -- Cultural Identity -- A Case in Point 9.3: Culture and Democracy -- Thinking Critically About Culture and Opinions.

Context -- Bias -- Wording and Labeling -- Explanations: Influences and Reasons -- A Topic for Class Discussion: Why Do Blacks Support the Democratic Party? -- Assignment 9.1: Birth Rates and Support for War -- Chapter Summary -- Definitions of Key Terms -- Chapter 10 Opinions and Voting -- The "Simple" Act of Voting -- Voting As a Process -- Types of Voting -- Why People Vote -- Socioeconomic Factors -- Knowledge and Voting -- Legal and Institutional Factors -- Electoral Format -- Personality Factors -- Cognitive Factors -- Moral Factors -- Low Turnout or Alienation? -- A Topic for Class Discussion: What to Do About Low Turnouts? -- The Complexity of Voting Decisions -- A Case in Point 10.1: "None of the Above" as a Form of Protest Voting -- Ideology and Opinions -- Partisanship and Opinions -- Explanations for Partisan Voting -- Identity -- Rational Assessment -- Identity Based on Reasoning -- Thinking Critically About Voting -- Contextual Factors -- A Case in Point 10.2: The Third-Party Candidate Factor in Elections -- A Case in Point 10.3: Incumbents and Challengers -- Wording -- Overreporting Bias -- Explanations -- Assignment 10.1: Partisan Households -- Assignment 10.2: Incumbents and Challengers -- Chapter Summary -- Definitions of Key Terms -- Chapter 11 Opinions About Domestic Issues -- Domestic Issues -- Abortion -- General Arguments -- Specific Circumstances -- A Case in Point 11.1: Survey Questions on Abortion -- Attitudes About Abortion and Voting Behavior -- Affirmative Action -- General Arguments -- Specific Circumstances -- Political Affiliations -- Crime and Law Enforcement -- General Arguments -- Specific Circumstances -- A Case in Point 11.2: Survey Questions About Crime -- Political Affiliations -- A Case in Point 11.3: The Willie Horton Case -- Death Penalty -- General Arguments -- Specific Circumstances -- Voting Implications.

A Case in Point 11.4: Attitudes About the Death Penalty in Japan.

Utilizing both a critical thinking approach and a comparative perspective throughout the text, Sobel and Shiraev provide comprehensive coverage of public opinion while also teaching students the basic skills necessary for measurement, understanding, and interpreting.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.