notes+for+212-226

Joan Katulege Notes 212-226
 * 1) As citizens of the United States we have the right to opinions which affect the way our government works. We are able to let candidates or the people in power know what we want and what we don’t want. Which forces them to act because if they don’t they won’t be reelected.
 * 2) __Public opinion__ is not the same for everyone; it is only believed by a specific group of people due to different beliefs and values.
 * 3) Sometimes the general public will agree on issues which will be called consensus, when there are many different opinions it is referred to as divisive opinion and when people are just not interested and therefore they don’t have any opinion, this is called non-opinion. When negativity isn’t targeted at a specific program, person, or idea, the people in office don’ know how to react and respond.
 * 4) People usually get their political ideals through friends, families, and other people that they are close with or work with. This is called __political socialization.__
 * 5) Opinions are based on things such as race, social class, environment and such. Kids usually hold the same views as parents because as children we try to please our parents so we tend to go along with what they say or tell us.
 * 6) Education is also a factor because the more knowledgeable a person is, the more they are likely to take a side and stand by it and be active in the process.
 * 7) People that we associate with also influence our political opinions. This is called __peer groups__.
 * 8) The people who we associate with don’t always intend to influence us they are just saying their views out loud but there are also people who deliberately try to influence us. These people are called __opinion leaders__.