Public Opinion And Its Influence On American Culture

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Public opinion are views prevalent among the general public. Public opinion is constantly changing, therefore polls are conducted. Polls measure public opinion on an issue regarding the country. Random sampling or stratified sampling are methods used for surveys. People get their views from family, peers, religion, education system etc which is a process also known as political socialization. Political socialization is a process by which people form their ideas about politics and acquire political values. It starts off at a young age whereas kids tend to follow up on their parents political viewpoints, conservative(Republican) or liberal(Democrat). Family is the first influence on kids who are just starting to develop their political opinions but as the kid grows, his/her political …show more content…

Gender is another factor. There is a gender gap between men and women on issues regarding gun control, war and military, and gay rights. Women are more negative on gun control and war and military but more positive on social welfare concerns(education, environment, anything regarding family issues) whereas men would stand on the opposite. Lastly, the impact of events alters one’s political socialization. Events such as 9/11, JFK assassination, Princess Diana’s death, etc. caused people to switch political parties or become more/less liberal or conservative on issues. Nixon’s resignation (due to American’s involvement with Vietnam) caused a mistrust in the government and created a cynical attitude. Public policies should mirror majority opinion when people are fully aware and educated of the outcomes of passing legislations. People lack information and usually go with what people say without doing their research. Not everyone is knowledgeable of the government, how it runs, and how to handle issues. If our system is truly democratic, the government only rarely did what most people