Polysci Chpts 5-8

The many pieces of information a person uses to form an opinion

The effect on public opinion when many citizens move away from moderate positions and toward either end of the political spectrum, identifying themselves as either liberals or conservatives

A survey response format in which respondants select their answers from a range of positions between two extremes

An opinion formed on the spot, when it is needed

The amount of complexity in an individual's beliefs about government and policy, and the extent to which those beliefs are consistent with each other and remain consistent over time

A way of describing political beliefs in terms of a position on the spectrum running from liberal to moderate to conservative

A way to measure public opinion by interviewing a large sample of the population

A way of forming a political opinion in which a person develops a preference regarding a candidate, party, or policy but does not remember the original reasons behind the preference

The level of public support for expanding the governments role in society; whether the public wants government action on a specific action

The process by which an individuals politcal opinions are shaped by other people andthe surrounding culture

The group of people that a researcher or pollster wants to study such as evangelicals, senior citizens, or americans

Citizens views on politics and government actions

A method of random sampling used in telephone surveys, in which the interviewers call respondents by dialing random telephone numbers in order to include those with unlisted numbers

A subsection of a population chosen to participate in a survey through a selection process in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen, this kind of sampling improves the accuracy of public opinion data

A type of survey in which a computer program, rather than a live questioner, interviews respondents by telephone