Lecture 4-2

Opinions of Various Groups

Gender Differences

• Importance of defense issues to men

• Importance of heal care issues to women

Class Differences

• Support for government direct assistance programs among people with less money and less education

• More support for protection of civil liberties by upper and middle classes

Regional Differences

• Major support for s strong military in the South

• More conservative in the South

• Major support for prayer in the school in the South

Racial differences

• Strong support for civil rights laws by Blacks

Religious Differences

• In 1992 Jews and Catholics were more likely to call themselves Democrats than were Protestants

• In another study, Jewish and black voters were more likely than other to support governmental social-welfare programs

• Catholics were more likely than Protestant to support a female or Jewish president

Measuring Public Opinion

• Survey research consists of scientifically determined methods for sampling the attitudes of a particular group of people

• The questionnaire must be clear and unambiguous, avoiding leading questions

• The nearer the sample is to being random, the more accurate the survey will be.

Focus Groups

• A relatively small number (6-20) of people with a common characteristic brought to a neutral setting to participate in a discussion on products or politics led by a trained researcher.

• Major tool of marketing research

• Allow analysts to delve deeply in the motivation for buying a product or voting for a politician

Bellwether Districts

• A bellwether district is one assumed to be a good predictor of the attitudes of large segments of the national population.

Opinions of Various Groups

Gender Differences

• Importance of defense issues to men

• Importance of heal care issues to women

Class Differences

• Support for government direct assistance programs among people with less money and less education

• More support for protection of civil liberties by upper and middle classes

Regional Differences

• Major support for s strong military in the South

• More conservative in the South

• Major support for prayer in the school in the South

Racial differences

• Strong support for civil rights laws by Blacks

Religious Differences

• In 1992 Jews and Catholics were more likely to call themselves Democrats than were Protestants

• In another study, Jewish and black voters were more likely than other to support governmental social-welfare programs

• Catholics were more likely than Protestant to support a female or Jewish president

Measuring Public Opinion

• Survey research consists of scientifically determined methods for sampling the attitudes of a particular group of people

• The questionnaire must be clear and unambiguous, avoiding leading questions

• The nearer the sample is to being random, the more accurate the survey will be.

Focus Groups

• A relatively small number (6-20) of people with a common characteristic brought to a neutral setting to participate in a discussion on products or politics led by a trained researcher.

• Major tool of marketing research

• Allow analysts to delve deeply in the motivation for buying a product or voting for a politician

Bellwether Districts

• A bellwether district is one assumed to be a good predictor of the attitudes of large segments of the national population.

The Political Impact of Polling

• Effects on Political Races

– Early Lead

– Slow start

• Push Polling