CMN 396 Communication & Public
Opinion Test With Solution
What is public opinion? - ANSWER aggregation of individual views at the
collective level (product of discussion)
reflection of mediated and elite views (people don't have their own views,
but think what their leaders do)
2 conceptions of the public - ANSWER public = the people - referred to
common access in a public place, widely available
referencing matter of general concern - little to do with common access and
more to do with common interest/good
key types of publics - ANSWER general = everyone
voting = smaller, not everyone votes
attentive = voting, pay attention to what's going on in the world
active = active members of political parties
elite = most active, party activists, opinion makers
issue = interested in a specific issue
2 conceptions of opinion - ANSWER distinguishing a matter of judgement
from a matter or fact; something uncertain from something known to be true
emphasis on role of popular opinion as an informal social control
key types of opinion - ANSWER public/private = do you express publicly or
, privately?
pro/con = are you for or against something? approve or disapprove?
intensity = how intense is your preference?
informed = how informed is your preference? multiple sources?
importance = how important is it to you? do you feel strongly?
Habermas and the public sphere - ANSWER argues that historical trends tied
the growth of capitalism resulted in a critically reasoning public sphere
variety of novel social institutions came to prominence = gathering places
devoted to literature/art
5 features of classical model of public opinion - ANSWER emanating from
reasons discourse and active conversation in a debate
debate is public and aims to determine common good - not a clash of
interests
debate is open - participation by public desired, if not ensured
sovereign and egalitarian - operates independently from social and economic
status, gives power to merit of ideas than political power
debate must be enlightened through full publicity of political affairs
possible critiques of the classical model - ANSWER questions accuracy of
interpretation of public sphere as an aspect of capitalist ascendency
debatable whether features ascribed to PO matched the views of PO that
were prevalent in the 18th century
argument that enlightenment intellectuals were qualified - strong on
Opinion Test With Solution
What is public opinion? - ANSWER aggregation of individual views at the
collective level (product of discussion)
reflection of mediated and elite views (people don't have their own views,
but think what their leaders do)
2 conceptions of the public - ANSWER public = the people - referred to
common access in a public place, widely available
referencing matter of general concern - little to do with common access and
more to do with common interest/good
key types of publics - ANSWER general = everyone
voting = smaller, not everyone votes
attentive = voting, pay attention to what's going on in the world
active = active members of political parties
elite = most active, party activists, opinion makers
issue = interested in a specific issue
2 conceptions of opinion - ANSWER distinguishing a matter of judgement
from a matter or fact; something uncertain from something known to be true
emphasis on role of popular opinion as an informal social control
key types of opinion - ANSWER public/private = do you express publicly or
, privately?
pro/con = are you for or against something? approve or disapprove?
intensity = how intense is your preference?
informed = how informed is your preference? multiple sources?
importance = how important is it to you? do you feel strongly?
Habermas and the public sphere - ANSWER argues that historical trends tied
the growth of capitalism resulted in a critically reasoning public sphere
variety of novel social institutions came to prominence = gathering places
devoted to literature/art
5 features of classical model of public opinion - ANSWER emanating from
reasons discourse and active conversation in a debate
debate is public and aims to determine common good - not a clash of
interests
debate is open - participation by public desired, if not ensured
sovereign and egalitarian - operates independently from social and economic
status, gives power to merit of ideas than political power
debate must be enlightened through full publicity of political affairs
possible critiques of the classical model - ANSWER questions accuracy of
interpretation of public sphere as an aspect of capitalist ascendency
debatable whether features ascribed to PO matched the views of PO that
were prevalent in the 18th century
argument that enlightenment intellectuals were qualified - strong on
