To what extent do the media influence your political views?
Adlai Stevenson had a low opinion of political advertising on television. But did Stevenson’s personal views about TV ads match public opinion as a whole? The answer, seemingly, is no, since Eisenhower’s advertising strategy apparently worked so well. From the election results, one might conclude that the public’s view of using televised ads to “sell” candidates was generally positive in 1952. In reality, however, figuring out just what “the public” thinks is not so easy. The American public today consists of more than 300 million individuals, each with his or her own personal beliefs, values, attitudes, and opinions.
The opinions you may have on political issues tend to be shaped by deeply held political beliefs and values. The formation of these beliefs and values begins early in life and continues throughout adulthood. Political scientists call this process political socialization. To “socialize” an individual means to teach that person to be a fit member of society. Political socialization involves learning about the values, beliefs, and processes that underlie a political system in order to participate in it effectively.
The process of political socialization is important. No democracy could survive if its citizens did not share some fundamental beliefs about how their government should operate. However, this process does not produce 300 million people who think exactly alike. Political socialization involves all of the experiences that lead us to view political issues the way we do. And those experiences are never the same from one person to the next.
Many agents, or forces, playa part in political socialization. They include family, schools, religion, friends, and the mass media. This diagram illustrates these agents of socialization.
Historical events are another important factor. Children growing up in the affluent 1950s, for example, tended to have a positive view of government. Those growing up in the 1960s a time marked by political assassinations, urban riots, and the Vietnam War were more likely to view government with considerable distrust.
Public opinion is commonly defined as the sum of many individual opinions about a public person or issue. This definition assumes that we can find out what public opinion on a given issue is by asking a large number of people what they think and adding up their responses.
With so many opinions floating around among so many Americans, how does public opinion come to be shaped? Political scientists who study this question have come up with several answers. Here are three to consider.
Public opinion is shaped by special interest groups. Some scholars believe that public opinion is less about what individuals think and more about what the special interest groups they belong to advocate. Because many such groups represent large numbers of people, they are listened to when they speak out on issues.
Public opinion is shaped by journalists, politicians, and other opinion makers. Scholars who support this view observe that most of us don’t have time to become informed on every issue. Instead we look to influential opinion makers for information and advice. These opinion makers may be journalists, public officials, business leaders, or activists. Because they have access to the media, “their” opinions often become “our” opinions.
Public opinion is shaped by what politicians say it is. This last view recognizes that politicians often talk about “what the people think” without evidence to back up their claims. They may sincerely believe that they have their fingers on “the pulse of the public.” Or they may hope that by claiming that the public agrees with them loudly enough, they will convince the American people that it must be true.
However public opinion takes shape, it is seldom a single view held by all Americans. Our country is simply too large and diverse for that to be true. Instead, it is more likely to be a range of views held by many different “publics. ”
Public opinion serves our democratic system of government in three key ways. First, it guides leaders as they make decisions about public policy. Whether conveyed through opinion polls, town hall meetings, letters, or e-mails, public opinion helps politicians know what their constituents are thinking. Politicians who ignore what the people care about do so at their own peril. When the next election rolls around, they risk being voted out of office.
Public opinion also serves as guard against hasty or poorly understood decisions. President Bill Clinton found this out when he proposed a complex restructuring of the national health care system in 1993. As public confusion about his proposed reforms mounted, the plan lost steam. Without public support, it never even made it to the floor of Congress for debate.
Lastly, public opinion serves as a kind of glue in a diverse society like ours. Widespread agreement on basic political beliefs holds our society together, even in times of intense partisan conflict.