Deck 8: Public Opinion and Voting

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT an agent of political socialization?

A) Media
B) Major life events
C) Churches
D) Political party identification
E) Peer groups

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Most political socialization is informal, and it usually begins

A) after college.
B) in college.
C) in high school.
D) during adolescence.
E) during early childhood.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which of the following is true of contemporary polling techniques?

A) A satisfactory sample can be obtained by phone polling.
B) In-person interviews continue to be the preferred means of polling.
C) The size of reputable samples is from 8,000 to 9,500 people.
D) Internet surveys are replacing phone surveys, and accuracy is greater than before.
E) The use of Internet phone systems and cell phones has complicated sampling.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

For established voters, is one of the most important and lasting predictors of how a person will vote.

A) income level
B) occupation
C) party identification
D) gender
E) religion

Question 5

To gain popularity, a candidate might claim that all the polls show that he or she is ahead in the race. People who want to support the winner may back this candidate despite their true feelings. This is often called the effect.

A) "bandwagon"
B) "house"
C) "off the wagon"
D) "band of brothers"
E) "home run"

Question 6

In survey research, a group of people typical of the general population is called .

A) a sample
B) a straw poll
C) the electorate
D) a subgroup
E) a town hall

Question 7

The family is an important agent of political socialization because

A) most families deliberately set out to form their children's political ideas and beliefs.
B) parents are responsible for registering their children to vote.
C) there are no other agents of political socialization.
D) a child first sees the political world through the eyes of his or her family.
E) schools are prohibited from engaging in political socialization.

Question 8

In the 2012 election, many major polling firms

A) weighted independent turnout too heavily.
B) deliberately skewed the results.
C) overestimated Republican turnout.
D) said the election was too close to call.
E) did not use random sampling.

Question 9

When a pollster's results appear to consistently favor one of the two major political parties, polling experts refer to the phenomenon as a .

A) push poll
B) conspiracy
C) party favor
D) house effect
E) whitewash

Question 10

A(n) poll is a campaign tactic used to feed false or misleading information to potential voters, under the guise of taking an opinion poll.

A) straw
B) exit
C) push
D) tracking
E) Internet

Question 11

Mosts people acquire their political attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and knowledge through a complex learning process known as _.

A) imprinting
B) indoctrination
C) agency
D) political socialization
E) opinion leading

Question 12

A sample in which each person within the entire population being polled has an equal chance of being chosen is a sample.

A) random
B) straw
C) biased
D) nonscientific
E) useless

Question 13

Today, the most reputable polls sample between and people.

A) 1,500; 2,000
B) 8,000; 9,500
C) 12,500; 15,000
D) 20,000; 25,000
E) 35,000 ;40,000

Question 14

Which of the following statements best defines a random sample?

A) A poll in which there is no way to ensure that the opinions expressed are representative of the larger population
B) In the context of opinion polling, a group of people selected to represent the population being studied
C) An atypical subgroup of the population
D) In the context of opinion polling, a sample in which each person within the entire population being polled has an equal chance of being chosen
E) A campaign tactic used to feed false or misleading information to potential voters, under the guise of taking an opinion poll

Question 15

Which of the following agents of political socialization teaches young people citizenship skills through rules and regulations?

A) Family
B) Schools
C) Media
D) Opinion leaders
E) Peer Groups

Question 16

All of the following affect the outcome of polls EXCEPT

A) international pressure.
B) house effects.
C) the timing of polls.
D) question framing.
E) statistical modeling.

Question 17

Polls that rely on interviewing voters immediately after they vote are polls.

A) push
B) tracking
C) benchmark
D) exit
E) pull

Question 18

Sampling error is the

A) error that results when random sampling is used.
B) difference between what the push poll results show and what the exit poll results show.
C) result of the way the questions are phrased.
D) difference between what the poll shows and what the results would have been if everyone in the relevant population had been interviewed.
E) error that is introduced when polls create public opinion instead of measuring it.

Question 19

The true result of a poll is

A) a range of probabilities.
B) a single figure.
C) a house effect.
D) a statistical model.
E) sampling error.

Question 20

Which of the following statements best defines a straw poll?

A) A survey of the public's opinion on a particular topic at a particular moment
B) In the context of opinion polling, a group of people selected to represent the population being studied
C) A nonscientific poll in which there is no way to ensure that the opinions expressed are representative of the larger population
D) In the context of opinion polling, a sample in which each person within the entire population being polled has an equal chance of being chosen
E) In the context of opinion polling, the difference between what the sample results show and what the true results would have been had everybody in the relevant population been interviewed

Question 21

In the 2012 presidential elections, Barack Obama won of female voters.

A) 45 percent
B) 55 percent
C) 63 percent
D) 70 percent
E) 85 percent

Question 22

In the 2012 presidential elections, Mitt Romney lost the national election with of the popular vote.

A) 32 percent
B) 47 percent
C) 25 percent
D) 40 percent
E) 38 percent

Question 23

In the 2012 presidential elections, of voters who identified themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual voted for Barack Obama.

A) 30 percent
B) 44 percent
C) 52 percent
D) 62 percent
E) 76 percent

Question 24

In the 2012 presidential elections, Mitt Romney had the solid support of white, working class voters only in the of the United States.

A) East and West coasts
B) Western region
C) Northeastern region
D) Midwestern region
E) Southern region

Question 25

In the 2012 presidential elections, of voters aged 18-29 voted for Barack Obama.

A) 33 percent
B) 44 percent
C) 52 percent
D) 60 percent
E) 71 percent

Question 26

In the 2012 presidential elections, Barack Obama won the national election with of the popular vote.

A) 60 percent
B) 47 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 51 percent
E) 72 percent

Question 27

In the 2012 presidential elections, Mitt Romney won of voters aged 65 or over.

A) 39 percent
B) 44 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 56 percent
E) 72 percent

Question 28

Some factors that influence how people vote can be described as socioeconomic. Which of the following is NOT a socioeconomic factor?

A) Educational attainment
B) Occupation
C) Income
D) Age
E) Ideology

Question 29

In the 2012 presidential elections, Mitt Romney won of the black vote.

A) 6 percent
B) 9 percent
C) 12 percent
D) 16 percent
E) 22 percent

Question 30

Some political analysts believe that the political gender gap became a major determinant of voter decision making in the election.

A) 1980 (Reagan)
B) 1976 (Carter)
C) 2012 (Obama)
D) 2008 (Obama)
E) 2000 (Clinton)

Question 31

An emotional attachment to a political party is known as .

A) partisan bias
B) voter perception
C) party identification
D) policy voting
E) policy bias

Question 32

In politics, the term gender gap

A) refers to the underrepresentation of women in the U.S. Senate.
B) refers to the length of time it took women to gain the right to vote.
C) describes the differences in the campaign styles of male and female candidates.
D) refers to the difference between the percentage of votes cast for a particular candidate by women and the percentage of votes cast for the same candidate by men.
E) describes the difference in voter turnout between men and women.

Question 33

When people vote for candidates who share their positions on particular issues, they are engaging in voting.

A) socioeconomic
B) ideological
C) allegiance
D) perception
E) policy

Question 34

Solid South was a term used to describe the tendency of the southern states to

A) vote Republican before 1960.
B) keep African Americans from voting before Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, so that political power in the South could remain solidly white.
C) vote Democratic for a century after the Civil War.
D) vote for southerners for the presidency.
E) be a stronghold for third party candidates throughout much of the 1950s.

Question 35

In the 2012 presidential elections, of voters with no high school education voted for Barack Obama.

A) 13 percent
B) 27 percent
C) 35 percent
D) 55 percent
E) 64 percent

Question 36

In the 2012 presidential elections, of voters who identified themselves as having no religion voted for Barack Obama.

A) 34 percent
B) 47 percent
C) 51 percent
D) 70 percent
E) 75 percent

Question 37

Recent polls indicate that of Americans consider themselves conservatives.

A) 10 percent
B) 21 percent
C) 35 percent
D) 40 percent
E) 59 percent

Question 38

In the 2012 presidential elections, of Asian voters voted for Barack Obama.

A) 22 percent
B) 41 percent
C) 56 percent
D) 73 percent
E) 84 percent

Question 39

In the 2012 presidential elections, of Hispanic voters voted for Barack Obama.

A) 39 percent
B) 51 percent
C) 64 percent
D) 71 percent
E) 93 percent

Question 40

In recent years, have favored Republican Party candidates by substantial margins.

A) African American protestant voters
B) Muslims of Middle Eastern background who live in major urban areas
C) females of all races and ages
D) white, Christian voters who attend church regularly
E) younger voters

Question 41

Grandfather clauses in state laws were one of the techniques used in the South to prevent from exercising their right to vote.

A) women
B) poor whites
C) African Americans
D) Catholics
E) Protestants

Question 42

Since 1970, no state can impose a residency requirement for voting of more than

A) 10 days.
B) 14 days.
C) 30 days.
D) 2 months.
E) 6 months.

Question 43

The framers of the Constitution

A) granted suffrage to all those who professed a belief in Christianity.
B) left the power to set suffrage qualifications to the individual states.
C) limited suffrage to those who had been delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
D) limited suffrage to adult white males who owned property.
E) granted suffrage to all persons over the age of twenty-one.

Question 44

In the United States today, citizens who are at least years of age and who are not felons have the right to vote.

A) fifteen
B) sixteen
C) seventeen
D) eighteen
E) twenty-one

Question 45

Voter turnout in presidential elections has hovered at about since 1968.

A) 55 percent
B) 58 percent
C) 61 percent
D) 42 percent
E) 70 percent

Question 46

Every state except North Dakota requires voters to before voting.

A) pay poll taxes
B) pass literacy tests
C) register with the appropriate state or local officials
D) recite the Pledge of Allegiance
E) fill out a sample ballot in the secretary of state's office

Question 47

The prohibited discrimination in voting on the basis of gender.

A) Fourteenth Amendment
B) Fifteenth Amendment
C) Nineteenth Amendment
D) Twenty-third Amendment
E) Twenty-sixth Amendment

Question 48

Residents of the District of Columbia were given the right to vote for president and vice president in the

A) Fourteenth Amendment.
B) Fifteenth Amendment.
C) Nineteenth Amendment.
D) Twenty-third Amendment.
E) Twenty-sixth Amendment.

Question 49

A law that requires citizens to cast a ballot in an election is known as

A) compulsory voting.
B) the Australian ballot.
C) preferential voting.
D) a "get out the vote" law
E) a "donkey vote" law

Question 50

Grandfather clauses in state laws had the effect of restricting the franchise to those

A) who were male.
B) who could prove their grandfathers were alive.
C) who were grandfathers.
D) whose ancestors had voted before the 1860s.
E) whose ancestors had held political office before the Civil War.

Question 51

Women were granted the right to vote in .

A) 1870
B) 1915
C) 1920
D) 1944
E) 1965

Question 52

The banned the use of white primaries.

A) Civil Rights Act of 1957
B) Voting Rights Act of 1965
C) Supreme Court's decision in Smith v. Allwright (1944)
D) Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870.
E) Twenty-fourth Amendment, ratified in 1964

Question 53

In 1971, the reduced the minimum voting age to eighteen.

A) Fourteenth Amendment
B) Fifteenth Amendment
C) Nineteenth Amendment
D) Twenty-third Amendment
E) Twenty-sixth Amendment

Question 54

Literacy tests

A) were used in many southern states to restrict African American participation in elections.
B) are given to newly eligible voters when they register to vote.
C) are required by the Constitution; they are used to ensure that voters can read and write.
D) were used in many northern states before they were prohibited by the Twenty-third Amendment to the Constitution.
E) are required if voters choose to vote by mail.

Question 55

The Twenty-fourth Amendment outlawed in national elections.

A) grandfather clauses
B) literacy tests
C) poll taxes
D) discrimination based on race
E) white primaries

Question 56

In the United States, about of the population are nonvoters.

A) 25 percent
B) 60 percent
C) 35 percent
D) 40 percent
E) 50 percent

Question 57

Literacy tests as a qualification for registering to vote were prohibited by the

A) Civil Rights Act of 1957.
B) Voting Rights Act of 1965.
C) Supreme Court's decision in Smith v. Allwright (1944).
D) Fifteenth Amendment.
E) Twenty-fourth Amendment.

Question 58

The guaranteed suffrage to African American males.

A) Thirteenth Amendment
B) Fourteenth Amendment
C) Fifteenth Amendment
D) Nineteenth Amendment
E) Twenty-third Amendment

Question 59

In , the U.S. Supreme Court prohibited the use of the grandfather clause in state election laws as a technique to prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote.

A) 1828
B) 1850
C) 1870
D) 1915
E) 1924

Question 60

Recent polls indicate that of Americans identify themselves as moderates.

A) 10 percent
B) 21 percent
C) 35 percent
D) 40 percent
E) 59 percent

Question 61

Which of the following statements is accurate?

A) Wealthy people tend to be underrepresented among regular voters.
B) Racial and ethnic minorities traditionally have been overrepresented among the ranks of voters.
C) Voting participation likely increases with age because older people tend to be more settled, are already registered, and have had more experience with voting.
D) Generally, younger voters turn out to vote more regularly than older voters do, although participation tends to increase among the very elderly.
E) High school graduates vote more often than those who have also finished college.

Question 62

Laws that disenfranchise felons disproportionately impact the right to vote of .

A) African Americans
B) women
C) white males
D) youth
E) Hispanics

Question 63

The number of people residing in the United States who are at least 18 years of age, is known as

A) the vote eligible population (VEP).
B) the disenfranchised population.
C) voting age population (VAP).
D) the electorate.
E) the voting age citizens (VAC).

Question 64

The requires states to provide all eligible citizens with the opportunity to register to vote when they apply for or renew a driver's license.

A) Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982
B) Drive-Thru Voter Law of 1976
C) National Voter Registration Act of 1993
D) Twenty-sixth Amendment to the Constitution
E) Help America Vote Act of 2002

Question 65

In the state of Oregon, all elections, including presidential elections, are conducted exclusively

A) on the Internet.
B) at polling places located inside school buildings and public libraries.
C) by phone.
D) at polling places located in supermarkets.
E) by mail.

Question 66

The requires that states allow mail-in voter registration.

A) Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982
B) Voting Rights Act extension (2006)
C) National Voter Registration Act of 1993
D) Twenty-third Amendment to the Constitution
E) Help America Vote Act of 2002

Question 67

Among the votes cast nationwide, about use paper ballots.

A) 66 percent
B) 75 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 33 percent
E) 5 percent

Question 68

The 2002 Help America Vote Act

A) required states to use the same style of paper ballots so that all voting procedures would be uniform across all fifty states.
B) simplified the voter registration process by establishing a policy of registering all persons born in the United States at the same time their birth certificates are processed.
C) required states to allow early voting at polling places that opened weeks before Election Day.
D) provided funds to the states to help them purchase new electronic voting equipment.
E) required that all electronic voting systems have voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) printers.

Question 69

Among the factors affecting voter turnout, appears to be the most important.

A) educational attainment
B) ethnicity
C) income level
D) race
E) religion

Question 70

Laws that disenfranchise felons deny of African Americans the right to vote.

A) 13 percent
B) 5 percent
C) 19 percent
D) 22 percent
E) 34 percent