|
 public opinion | The sum of many individual opinions, beliefs, or attitudes about a public person or issue. |
| political socialization | The process by which people form their political values and attitudes. This process starts in childhood and continues through adulthood. |
| agents of socialization | Forces that help to develop a person's political values and attitudes. |
| opinion markers | People who have a strong influence on public opinion. |
| scientific sampling | is the process of selecting a small group of people who are representative of the whole population; Used in opinion polling. |
| opinion poll | A method of measuring public opinion. This is done by asking questions of a random sample of people and using their answers to represent the views of the broader population. |
| random samples | A group of people selected at random from the general populations, used in opinion polling. |
| benchmark polls | A long, detailed survey of voter opinion designed to help political candidates craft their campaigns. |
| tracking polls | - A survey used on a daily basis during a political campaign to measure the level of support for a candidate |
| exit polls | A survey of voters, taken as they leave the polling place, to predict the winners on Election Day. |
| push poll | A phone survey sponsored by a political candidate that provides damaging information on in opponent in order to "push" voters away from that opponent. |
| mass media | Means of communication that reach a large audience. Today the mass media includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the internet. |
| spin | The deliberate shading of information about a person or an even in an attempt to influence public opinion |
| media bias | Real or imagined prejudice that is thought to affect what stories journalists cover and how they report those stories |
| negative campaigning | Trying to win an advantage in a campaign by emphasizing negative aspects of an opponent or policy. In the past, this type of campaigning was called mudslinging. |