PSC 120 Final Exam Questions & Answers 2024/2025
Bureaucracy - ANSWERSA system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials
Public Opinion - ANSWERS-"Those opinions held by private persons which governments find it good to heed" -V.O.Key
-Public Opinion influences ...
Bureaucracy - ANSWERSA system of managing government through departments run by appointed
officials
Public Opinion - ANSWERS-"Those opinions held by private persons which governments find it good to
heed" -V.O.Key
-Public Opinion influences leaders (leaders definitely affect public opinion too)
-More Trump supporters disliked NFL after Donald Trump came out against it
Political Values - ANSWERSThe basic principles that people hold about government.
3 Levels of Public Opinion - ANSWERS-core values: most centrally held principles that shape our views
(family, religion, friendships) and don't change very much
-attitudes: more fundamental perspectives on questions of enduring social importance
-public opinions: least centrally held beliefs and change more frequently
Polling, surveys, and sampling - ANSWERS
Polling history - ANSWERS-Census
-Literary Digest - 1928 and 1932
-Literary Digest vs. Gallup - 1936
Differences based on gender, age, religion, education, class - ANSWERS-women more concerned with
dangers of war
-more poor people support economic and social programs
-whites and blacks have different views on affirmative action
,political socialization - ANSWERSprocess through which people form or learn their political beliefs and
values, forms personal ideology
equality of opportunity - ANSWERSgiving people an equal chance to succeed
conservative - ANSWERStending to resist change; favoring traditional values and views
liberal - ANSWERSopen to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values
public opinion polls - ANSWERSscientific surveys aimed at gauging public preference of candidates and
issues
sample - ANSWERSthe small group that are actually asked questions (selected to represent the
population)
probability sampling - ANSWERSeveryone in the population being surveyed has an equal chance to be
sampled
sampling error - ANSWERSan error that occurs when a sample somehow does not represent the target
population
measurement error - ANSWERSAn error in collecting polling data. Example = response bias or confusing
questions.
selection bias - ANSWERSpolling error, as a result of a sample not being representative of the population
push polling - ANSWERSa polling technique in which the questions are designed to shape the
respondent's opinion
saliency - ANSWERSthe degree to which an issue is important to a particular individual or group.
, bandwagon effect - ANSWERSa shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls
report as the front-runner
nonattitudes - ANSWERSopinions generated by a poll that do not exist in reality
Phillip Converse - ANSWERSConverse says belief systems are constructed by political elites, who decide
the issue views that go together, and he says political information is key for determining whether
members of the mass public are capable of following these connections in their own thinking.
(nonattitudes)
print media - ANSWERS-Before 1830: American press was made up of small number of newspapers for
small elite audience
-1833: New York Sun was first paper that was sold for one penny on street corners (penny press) and
became first mass media
-The Partisan Press -> greater objectivity
-increased the number of more objective and fact-driven news reporting
-1850: 5% of newspapers were neutral or independent
-1940: 50% were neutral and 25% were assigned to one party
-Print is a constant
broadcasting media (radio and TV) - ANSWERS-Early radio: 1920s and 1930s emergence of politics on the
radio
-Campaigning through the radio 1920s
-Early television: 1948 - 1960
-TV news was limited (only 3 stations so all stations showed news at the same time)
-1960 Election - 1st televised debates
-John F. Kennedy: prepared for TV
-Nixon: not visually appealing and was voted for more by radio listeners
-This started the visual appeal of presidents
internet media - ANSWERS-changed volume of political content
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Bensuda. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $9.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
