Public Opinion

Public Opinion

Braunwarth

POSC 121

Political Culture

 What is it?

 The opinion of the public on

political and social issues

 How is it affected by Political Culture?

 We basically all share the Classical Liberal focus

on self-interested, reasoning individuals

 The Framers borrowed from Locke who drew on

the ideas of Descartes

 Descartes popularized the idea of individual

reason which made possible the enlightenment

and the scientific revolution

Classical Liberalism

 This way of thinking is well suited to our

economic (capitalism) and political (democracy)

systems

 However, not all societies have gone through

the same process of enlightenment

 Is it inevitable that this process (and capitalism

and democracy) will spread?

 Religious fundamentalism and it’s reliance on

faith over fallible individual reasoning dominates

many societies and even many groups here

Shaping Individual Opinions

 Most fundamental political beliefs and

ideologies are formed early

 What are the primary agents of political

Socialization?

 Family

 Schools

 Fundamental National Circumstances

Social Categories

 What characteristics are salient in shaping

Public Opinion? How?

 Race

 Opinions differ regarding the extent of racial

progress

 Gender

 Women are slightly less likely to advocate war

and more likely to vote Democrat

Social Categories

 Age

 Generally reflects the conditions under which

they were socialized

 Religion

 The “God Gulf” is dramatic with the religiously

observant voting Republican

Social Categories

 In general, the more urban, the

more liberal

 The South is the most

conservative region of the

country

 This is related to class

 Income is more concentrated in

the U.S. than in any other

Western Democracy

 But Americans are less aware of

class divisions than others

 Lower class tends to be more

concerned with personal

morality

 Upper class tends to be more

supportive of civil liberty issues

Public Opinion

 Public Opinion is just that, opinion.

 It is a “social fact” not a “brute fact”

 It need not be based on hard data or be

objectively true

 So why should we care about P.O.?

 This is a democracy and Public Opinion is

still one of the primary inputs that shapes

public policy

 The Quality of Public Opinion is thus

important

Public Knowledge

 Are citizens doing their job?

 Take the following quiz:

 Who is your Congressional Representative?

 Who are your state’s two Senators?

 Who is the U.S. Secretary of State?

 Who is the U.S. Secretary of the Interior?

 Who is your representatives to either the state

Assembly or the State Senate?

 Who is Chloe Kardashian or Robert Pattinson?

 Why do we know more about some of these than

others?

 What the media chooses to emphasize (Neil Postman,

Amusing Ourselves to Death)

John Kenneth Galbraith

 "We Associate truth with convenience," he wrote, "with

what closely accords with self-interest and personal well-

being or promises best to avoid awkward effort or

unwelcome dislocation of life. We also find highly

acceptable what contributes the most to self-esteem."

Economic and social behaviors, Galbraith continued,

"are complex, and to comprehend their character is

mentally tiring. Therefore we adhere, as though to a raft,

to those ideas which represent our understanding.“

 In sum, Public Opinion/“conventional wisdom” is always

 1. Easily understandable

 2. Reinforces our self-esteem

Public Opinion in a complex

world

 Is the world that simple?

 No, but individuals seek easily

understandable, self-satisfying explanations

 Public Opinion may be simplistic but it still

drives policy in our democracy

 However, it is not just a one-way street

Constructing Public Opinion in

a Complex World

 Political actors (politicians, interest groups,

etc.) are eager to construct explanations that

reinforce certain positions

 Is it possible for a politician to take the high

road and address the complexity of political

issues?

 Or will he be defeated by someone promising

a simple explanation that reinforces the self-

esteem of the audience?

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

 How do people feel when their illusions have

been shattered?

 Examples?

 Are they happy to be enlightened?

 If enlightened, will they be eager to go back

an educate their fellows?

Image>Substance

 Take a moment and list attributes of two prominent

politicians

 Chances are these are based on messages

popularized by the media but probably have little to

do that individual’s ability to govern

 We are not computers and do not view the world

from a purely rational perspective

 Opinion is often based on “image”, emotions, and

impressions rather than substantive political issues

 It may be “rule by the people” but large numbers of

people are uninformed or misled or just don’t care

Is being “beer-worthy” a good

reason to vote for a politician?



How about someone who

“looks presidential”?



Or “sounds strong”?



What about “trustworthy”? Are

you going to be lending them

money until payday?

Culture of Fear

 What kinds of things, are people warned to

be afraid of?

 Are these likely threats?

 So what; why should we care if people are

afraid of things over which they have little

control and are not likely to affect them?

 It prevents them from addressing real political

concerns upon which they can make an

impact.

 (Same argument applies to sports)

Cynicism

 Do people tend to trust government or do

they think that government is “the problem

and not the solution” and that politicians are

merely “a bunch of crooks”?

 Such opinions are widespread even though

the vast majority of politicians are concerned

about the public good.

 What effect does this have on democratic

politics?

 Limits the ability of government to provide

positive action for society

John Stuart Mill: On Conformity,

Individuality, and Liberty

 Under what circumstances can one

interfere in the actions of another?

 Only Self-Protection

 Mill worries about the tyranny of

public opinion

 For J.S. Mill, very important to be

exposed to a variety of opinions and

a diversity of ideas

 “Marketplace of Ideas”

 Is there a tyranny of public opinion

in the U.S.? Example?

 How are opposing views treated?

Political Ideology

 What we accept is often shaped by our

ideology

 Our variations of liberalism and conservatism

are unique to the U.S.

 These ideologies differ in their acceptance of

government influence in the market and in

private conduct

Liberalism

 Theme: Public Morality

 Concerned with welfare of others

 Everyone is valued

 We are our brother’s keeper

 “nurturant parent” family model in which the world is a

benevolent place that can be made better

 Government necessary to protect people from

vagaries of the market

 Government should not favor particular

behaviors or groups (religious, gender, sexual

orientation, etc.)

Conservatism

 Theme: Private Morality

 Concerned with conduct of others

 Traditional Values

 We are our own keeper

 “strict father” family model in which the world is

dangerous and must be controlled

 No Government regulation of the market

 Government should endorse precise

standards for private conduct

Neo-Conservativism

 Have become more important in the George

W. Bush administration

 Share traditional conservative concern for

free market and disdain for big-government

social programs

 Also advocate using our vastly superior

military force to alter the world as we want

Ideology

Flip Sides of the Same coin



Conservative Liberal

 Human Nature Self-Interest Communal

 Resources Scarcity Plenty

 Different Lifestyles Restrain Trust

 Criminals Retribution Rehabilitate

 Taxation Regressive Progressive

 Equality Freedom Equality Imp’t

 Order Order Imp’t Freedom

Ideology Constructs Reality

 “If men define situations as real, they are real

in their consequences” (W. I. Thomas)

 If you want to look at reality according to

either perspective, you will find a reality that

conforms to your interpretation

 Neither is really “common sense”

 Depending how you look at reality, your

actions and interactions will be affected; self-

fulfilling prophecy

Conservatism

 Ideological Mainstream of American politics

has shifted to the right

 Why has Conservatism benefited from the

growth of talk radio and not Liberalism?

 Plays better because it has easy answers

 Personal responsibility and self-reliance are

easily understandable and persuasive

 This leads to clear, definite and easily

defendable policy stances (less government,

get tough on crime, etc.)

Conservatism and Liberalism

 In addition, conservative calls for less

government naturally lend themselves to

negative rhetoric and ads attacking

government and politicians

 Liberalism relies on more complex

justifications (social responsibility, etc.) that

does not provide simple black & white answers

 This leads to inherently more ambiguous policy

choices (what can government do to enable all

to compete equally?)

Conservatives fight better



 Subsequently, conservatives are able to fight

political battles with greater surety and

zealousness

 Can you think of any contemporary

examples?

Ideology of the 2008 Presidential Candidates. Left-Right refers to

government involvement in regulating the economy; authoritarian-

libertarian refers to government involvement in regulating social issues



Are you surprised by this graph?

Do Conservatives fight better?