Political Science 319
Public Opinion
Dr. Sellers

Sample Questions for Midterm Review

1. Political scientists have studied and theorized about a range of stereotypes in public opinion.  What are these stereotypes?  What are their origins?  How changeable are they?  What do your answers to these questions suggest about the extent to which contemporary politicians can manipulate public opinion?  In your answer, make sure that you address at least two different readings about stereotypes that we have covered this semester.

2. Foreign observers of the United States often note how the American public holds contradictory positions across issues.  Phil Converse makes a similar argument about contradictions across time.  Given your knowledge of public opinion and related research, how widespread are these contradictions?  How can we explain them?  Is the public or our political leadership more responsible for them?  Do the contradictions present a problem for American politics?  Why or why not?

3. Describe and evaluate Lippman’s concept of “pseudo-environment.”  What role does the news media play in the creation and use of pseudo-environments?  Is this role good or bad?  Make sure that you illustrate your argument with contemporary examples.

4. As we have seen at several points during the semester, voters vary substantially in their knowledge and awareness of issues and candidates.  What are the most important causes of this variation?  What difference does it make?  When evaluating voters and their knowledge and awareness, what standards should we use, and why?  In your answer, make sure that you discuss at least three different readings from the semester.