LECTURE 5
PUBLIC OPINION
| SOURCES | EXAMPLES | VARIABLES |
| ISSUES | Election | Elites, interest groups, grassroots movements, (decision-making, group theory) |
CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION |
Media, attentive publics, peer groups | Communication theory--agenda-setting function of media news gathering practices; economic pressures on media; role of national and local press |
SECONDARY FORCES OF OPINION |
Race, region, social class, educational level, gender, age, religion | Political socialization and sociological constraints on opinion development |
| PROXIMATE FORCES | Party identification, issues, and candidate orientation | Theories of political and social psychology |
| POLITICAL ATTITUDES | Pro-Con a particular candidate: conservative, liberal | Personality, belief and social-psychological theories |
| BEHAVIOR | Vote: Democrat, Republican, etc. Non-voting |
Political science theories of voting behavior and change. Party change |