6.1 The Nature of Public Opinion = public opinion- a collection of popular views about something or someone opinions are based off belief and attitudes beliefs- closely held ideas that support our values and expectations about life and politics political socialization- the process by which we are trained to understand and join a country's political world agent of political socialization- a source of political information intended to help citizens understand how to act in their political system and how to make decisions on political matters - most prominent are school and family other agents: friends, media, religion covert content- political info provided under the pretense that it us neutral overt content- clearly saying that it is only showing one side of political info traditional conservatism- supports authority of the monarchy and the church- government provides the rule of law and maintains a safe and organized society modern conservatism- an elected government will guard personal liberties and provide laws classical liberalism- free will, right to make decisions without government intervention, views government with suspicion modern liberalism- focuses on equality and supports government intervention in society and the economy if it promotes equality Libertarians - believe in individual rights and limited government intervention in private life and personal economic decisions 6.2 How is Public Opinion Measured? = straw polls- informal polls random sample - randomness representative sample- a group who's demographic distribution is similar to the overall population margin of error - a number that states how far the poll results may be from the actual opinion of the total population of citizens  Bradley effect - the theory that voters who answered the poll were afraid to admit they would not vote for a black man because it would appear politically incorrect and racist  push polls- political campaign info presented as polls 6.3 What Does the Public Think? = ideology can be influenced by events heuristics- shortcuts or cues for decision making ex. political parties political elites- people who shape public opinion 6.4 The Effects of Public Opinion =  theory of delegate representation- assumes the politician is in office to be the voice of the people