| Term | Definition |
|---|
| public opinion | The distribution of individual preferences for or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population. |
| distribution | Proportion of the population that holds a particular opinion. |
| random sampling | In this type of sample, every individual has a known and random chance of being selected |
| margin of error | Sample accurately reflects the population within this certain range. |
| open-ended questions | permit respondents to answer in their own words rather than in set categories. |
| panel surveys | Interviewing the same sample at more than one point in time. |
| consensus | When a substantial percentage of a sample agrees on an issue. |
| polarized | When two opposing sides feel intensely about an issue. |
| intensity | how strongly people feel about their opinions. |
| scale | a question asking people how strongly they feel about an issue or about a politician. |
| latency | political opinions that people may hold but have not yet fully expressed. |
| manifest opinion | A widely shared and consciously held view, like support for homeland security |
| salience | measures the extent to which people believe issues are relevant to them. |
| political socialization | The process -- most notably in families and schools -- by which we develop our political attributes, values, and beliefs. |
| nationalism | a consciousness of the nation-state and belonging to it. |
| attentive public | Those citizens who follow public affairs carefully |
| nonvoters | people who are rarely interested in politics or public affairs and seldom vote. |
| political know-nothings | Individuals that not only avoid political activity but also have little interest in government and limited knowledge about it. |
| part-time citizens | Participate selectively in elections; are not greatly interested in politics and government, pay only minimal attention to the news, rarely discuss candidates or elections with others. |
| voter registration | System designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents |
| Australian ballot | A secret ballot printed by the state |
| Help America Vote Act (HAVA) | provides $3.9 billion in federal funds to modernize American voting procedures and mandates that states maintain accurate statewide voter registration lists; also permits voters to cast provisional ballots if there is uncertainty about their registration. |
| general election | Elections in which voters elect officeholders. |
| primary election | Election in which voters determine party nominees. |
| special election | Election in which voters replace members of the House of Representatives who have died or left office. |
| presidential election | Elections held in years when the president is on the ballot. |
| midterm election | Election held midway between presidential elections. |
| off-year elections | Elections held in odd-numbered calendar years. |
| turnout | The proportion of the voting-age public that votes, sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote. |
| canvass | Campaigners learn which issues matter to potential voters and which candidates these voters prefer by conducting interviews on the telephone or in person. |
| party identification | An informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood. |
| candidate appeal | How voters feel about a candidate's background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities. |
| wedge issues | Issues that motivate particular segments of the electorate to vote and on which the opposing candidate or party has a less popular position. |
| prospective issue voting | Voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected. |
| retrospective issue voting | Holding incumbents, usually the president's party, responsible for their records on issues, such as the economy or foreign policy. |
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