POL_SC 1100 Study Guide - Final Guide: Socioeconomic Status, The Literary Digest, School Prayer
Document Summary
Ritchie spring (cid:494)(cid:883)(cid:885) it helps connect the will of the people to the actions of government, delivering on the core democratic principle of majority rule. Delegate model of representative democracy the job of elected officials is to translate the views of the majority into government action. American political system described as hyperdemocracy policymakers are largely subservient to public opinion. At the individual level opinions seem to be erratic. At the group level we look fairly stable. Whether public opinion is positive or negative about a given issue. Ex: abortion rights positive and negative attitudes are balanced. The likelihood of changes in the direction of public opinion. On some issues, public opinion retains a clear direction over long period of time. Ex: death penalty, abortion, school prayer, most morality. Public opinion on some issues are more volatile. In wars, opinions change more rapidly and frequently. How strongly people hold their attitudes and beliefs.
