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Data

Political Polarization in the American Public
Learning Objective: 10-2: Describe the ways that public opinion can be measured.

Race and Public Opinion
Learning Objective: 10-6: Relate the role that group differences such as gender and race can have on public opinion.

Immigration Attitudes
Learning Objective: 10-6: Relate the role that group differences such as gender and race can have on public opinion.

PEW Political Typology Quiz
Learning Objective: 10-2: Describe the ways that public opinion can be measured.

The Political Compass Political Typology Test
Learning Objective: 10-2: Describe the ways that public opinion can be measured.
 

Video

Pros and Cons of Public Opinion Polls
Learning Objective: 10-2: Describe the ways that public opinion can be measured.

Questions to consider:

1. Why is sampling so important in public opinion polls?
2. What is a push poll?
    

Framing
Learning Objective: 10-3: Explain six elements that contribute to the forming of opinion.

Political Socialization
Learning Objective: 10-3: Explain six elements that contribute to the forming of opinion.

What’s Behind the Shift in Public Opinion Over Gay Marriage?
Learning Objective: 10-4: Discuss to what extent public opinion is meaningful.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the main demographic group driving the change in public opinion on the gay marriage issue? What are some reasons cited to explain why this group is more supportive?
2. What do you think? Do you think the public is leading the politicians on the issue of gay marriage or do you think the politicians are leading the public? Is there a difference on this between Republicans and Democrats?
3. The video argues that individuals that are conflicted between their moral/religious beliefs and their sense of fairness are the most susceptible to responding to the wording in the poll. Why might this be the case?
4. How should a question that seeks to accurately measure a respondent’s support for gay marriage be worded?
    

Does Public Opinion Influence the Decision-Making of Judges?
Learning Objective: 10-5: Summarize the role of consensus in politics and policy issues.

Questions to consider:

1. How much consideration do Supreme Court justices give to the public’s opinion on an issue when the Supreme Court is deciding a case according to Justice Breyer?
    

How Did American Politics Become So Polarized
Learning Objective: 10-5: Summarize the role of consensus in politics and policy issues.

Questions to consider:

1. What are some factors cited by Alan Abramowtiz as evidence that the American public is politically polarized?
2. What do you think? Do you think getting more people involved in politics and voting would help or hurt political polarization? Why or why not?
    

How Are Conservative and Liberal Brains Different?
Learning Objective: 10-6: Relate the role that group differences such as gender and race can have on public opinion.

Questions to consider:

1. What do you think? Reflecting on your own political ideology how well do your personality traits and behavioral preferences align with your own political ideology?
2. Evaluate the claim of a physiological basis of conservative and liberal political ideologies. What other nonphysiological factors might be affecting an individual’s ideological preferences?
    

Web Resources

The Conservative and Liberal Brain
Learning Objective: 10-1: Define public opinion.

Roper Center
Learning Objective: 10-2: Describe the ways that public opinion can be measured.

Real Clear Politics
Learning Objective: 10-2: Describe the ways that public opinion can be measured.

Gallup
Learning Objective: 10-2: Describe the ways that public opinion can be measured.

PEW
Learning Objective: 10-2: Describe the ways that public opinion can be measured.

SurveyUSA
Learning Objective: 10-2: Describe the ways that public opinion can be measured.