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PLSC 340 Final Exam correctly answered to pass A+ rated
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PLSC 340 Final Exam correctly answered to pass A+ rated
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PLSC 340 Final Exam correctlyanswered to pass A+ rated
Gilen's 2000 claims about welfare - correct answer ✔✔Recall discussion of Prop 13 in CA. Only
government program that majority of respondents wanted to cut was "welfare" but not the specific
components that make up welfare. Gilens argues best predictor of attitudes toward welfare is the race of
recipients. Respondents who believe that it mostly ges to black are most opposed.
What is public opinion? - correct answer ✔✔those opinions held by private persons which governments
find it prudent to heed
What are the three components of public opinion? - correct answer ✔✔Opinions. Including attitudes,
preferences, orientation, etc.
Persons. Aggregate of individuals = public
Including counting, generalizing, and looking down our noses at public.
"Governments find prudent to heed"
Related to politics. Government pays attention to the public. Pollster opportunities
Why and who cares about public opinion? - correct answer ✔✔Politicans care about winning elections
and governing effectively.
Citizens care about elections, government, and have curiosity.
Academics care about voting behavior, public opinion and public policy, and democratic health.
What is characterizing public opinion? - correct answer ✔✔Three dimensions: Direction,
stability/duration, and intensity. Famous examples include gun vs gun controllers, pro-lifers vs pro-
choicers, and right-wing conservatives vs moderate conservatives
Which dimension of public opinion is easiest to measure? - correct answer ✔✔Direction. The stability of
mass attitudes is not far behind however.
Why are polls sometimes considered as "snapshots"? - correct answer ✔✔Opinions don't necessarily
last, however we don't assume that change is certain or that change which occurs will follow an assumed
,path. For example: Just because Biden is 50-50 today dosen't mean that he'll be there a few months
from now or in a year plus when the midterms come.
What dimension of public opinion is hardest to measure? - correct answer ✔✔Intensity.
Why is intensity so difficult to measure? - correct answer ✔✔Because of the difficulty of trying to
discover how deeply people feel about issues they generally know they should feel deeply about. It is
default for people to claim virtually everything asked about on a survey is important.
What dimension of public opinion is most consequential? - correct answer ✔✔It depends on the
context. In presidential elections, it's direction.
In presidential primaries, particularly in caucuses, it's intensity.
What was the secret of Democratic success in the 2018 midterms? - correct answer ✔✔Their electorate
really couldn't stand Trump while many Trump supporters are not as enthusiastic. This disparity resulted
in a higher turnout gap among Democratic voters.
What was the secret of Trump outperforming polls in 2016 & 2020? - correct answer ✔✔Regardless of
Biden winning in 2020, there was still intensity among Trump voters who wanted Trump to win. However
there was more intensity among voters for Biden. In 2016, there was more intensity among Trump voters
than there were among Clinton voters.
What is the most closely linked dimension of public opinion with behavior? - correct answer
✔✔Intensity
What is the secret of the NRA's success? - correct answer ✔✔Gun enthusiasts have been more
motivated than gun controllers
What are ways in which public opinions are measured? - correct answer ✔✔Elections, direct
communications(letters/phone calls), small N samples, obscure means, polls.
What are the Pros of measuring public opinion through elections? - correct answer ✔✔High
participation, real choices instead of mere expression, traditional means of democratic control.
, What are the Cons of measuring public opinion through elections? - correct answer ✔✔Interpretation.
Why does any candidate win? How can we sort out the many potential reasons?
Why is there a struggle to attribute the meaning to the public's opinion following a politician's victory? -
correct answer ✔✔Winning politicians are eager to interpret their own victories. For example, After
Bush won in 2004, he spoke at a press conference that he intended to tell congress what he wanted to
do as the people have spoken and embraced his point of view. This included wanting to get rid of social
security, something that Bush barley mentioned during his 2004 campaign.
Does a president winning an election give them absolute leeway to passing what they want as a result of
the people choosing? - correct answer ✔✔No. It depends on the size and/or surprise of the victory. For
example: Trump is correct to remind everyone that he wasn't expected to win, but he didn't link that to a
set of concrete proposals.
It also depends on the opposition's willingness to oppose. For example: Democrats in 1981, stunned by
Reagan's victory, passed a bunch of his priorities. Republicans in 2009, unimpressed by Obama's victory,
organized to oppose him from the very start.
How is public opinion measured through direct communications? - correct answer ✔✔Measured
through letters, phone calls, attending meetings, visiting reps in offices, etc.
Groups try to organize things like letter-writing campaigns or circulate petitions.
Even politicians will call on people to contact their reps
Does measuring public opinion through direct communications really work? - correct answer ✔✔It
depends.
Potentially useful means to distinguish intensity.
One problem is distinguishing between spontaneous and directed communications. An example of this
being that groups will ask people to write out notes rather than sign printed statements.
Also, polls are vigilant about sorting people who aren't constituents
How is public opinion measured through Small N samples? - correct answer ✔✔Through focus groups,
which are potentially useful for market testing but can have attention issues. They are also less useful for
gauging opinion despite the media continuing to use them.
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