Public Opinion and Polling

Catalog description

A central feature to American democracy is that the public has the opportunity to play an active role in governing. This course invites students to think about and reflect on the role of public opinion, the tools used to measure it, and its impact on policies and elections in American democracy. Students will examine what public opinion is, public's knowledge of politics, how citizens are socialized politically, group differences in public opinions, and various methods employed to measure public opinion. By the end of the course, students will be able to determine when and how public opinion influences various aspects of American politics.