American Government › Section F · Public opinion › Topic F.1

The nature of public opinion

Politicians, journalists and campaigns all want to know what the public thinks. Before measuring opinion, it helps to know where it comes from: the families, schools, communities, media and events that shape each citizen's political outlook.

In this topic

  • What public opinion is
  • Beliefs, attitudes and opinions
  • Political socialisation
  • Family: the first agent
  • School, faith, peers and work
  • The media as an agent
  • Events, generations and life stages
  • Worked example: tracing one voter's views
  • Ideology
  • Worked example: a two-dimensional map
  • Common mistakes to avoid
  • Key takeaways

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