This document discusses the origins and formation of political opinions in Americans. It explains that political socialization is the process by which people acquire their political beliefs and values from primary influences like family and schools during childhood. It also discusses secondary influences like peers, media, and events that can shape political views over time. Additionally, it examines common frames of reference like party identification, ideology, and group orientations that Americans use to evaluate political issues. Finally, it reviews methods of measuring public opinion through polls and the relationship between public opinion and policymaking.

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Chapter 6

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Political Socialization:
The Origins of Americans’ Opinions
Public opinion: opinions of citizens that are openly stated
Political socialization: the process by which people
acquire their political opinions, beliefs, and values
Childhood learning is paramount
Process is cumulative: political affiliations usually grow
firmer with age

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Political Socialization:
The Origins of Americans’ Opinions
Primary political socialization agents:
Family
 Family is the strongest of all agents of socialization
Schools
 More critical examination of American history in higher grades
and in college
Church
 Scholars have not studied the effects of religion as well as schools
or family, but it is a powerful influence

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Political Socialization:
The Origins of Americans’ Opinions
Secondary political socialization agents:
Peers
Media
Leaders
Events

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Frames of Reference:
How Americans Think Politically
Frames of reference: reference points by which
individuals evaluate issues and developments
Party identification
Party identification: emotional loyalty to a political party;
not formal membership
Major shifts in loyalty rare
 Usually in response to a major event
Can lead to selective perception

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Frames of Reference:
How Americans Think Politically
Political ideology:
A coherent set of political beliefs
Few Americans have a true political ideology
Ideological leanings:
 Economic liberals/conservatives
 Social liberals/conservatives
 Populists
 Libertarians

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Frames of Reference:
How Americans Think Politically
Group orientations
Religion
Economic class
Region
Race and ethnicity
Gender
Generations and age
Crosscutting groups

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The Measurement of Public Opinion
The measurement of public opinion
Traditional method: election results
Public opinion polls: primary method
 Measure public opinion using randomly chosen
population sample(s) and carefully constructed interviews
Samples—estimation of population’s views
Accuracy of a poll—expressed by sampling error

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The Measurement of Public Opinion
Problems with polls
Increasing refusal to participate in telephone polls
Polled individuals unfamiliar with issues
Dishonesty by respondents
Poorly worded questions and poor question order
Non-opinions

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The Influence of Public Opinion
on Policy
Disagreement over how much public opinion affects
policy, and how much it should affect policy
Limits on public influence
Inconsistencies in citizens’ policy preferences
Citizens’ lack of understanding of issues
Mastery of issues not necessary for opinion to be of value,
but some issues require understanding

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The Influence of Public Opinion
on Policy
Public opinion and the boundaries of action
Some policy actions outside boundaries of public
acceptability
The greater the level of public involvement, the more likely
officials will respond to public sentiment
Even on popular issues, leaders have some discretion
Leaders can influence public opinion through concerted
effort