| A | B |
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| public opinion | The politically relevant opinions held by ordinary citizens that they express openly. |
| public opinion poll | A device for measuring public opinion whereby a relatively small number of individuals (the sample) are interviewed for the purpose of estimating the opinions of a whole community (the population). |
| sample | In a public opinion poll, the relatively small number of individuals who are interviewed for the purpose of estimating the opinions of an entire population. |
| population | In a public opinion poll, the people (for example, the citizens of a nation) whose opinions are being estimated through interviews with a sample of these people. |
| sampling error | A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll. Is mainly a function of sample size and is usually expressed in pecentage terms. |
| political socialization | The learning process by which people acquire their political opinions, beliefs, and values. |
| age-cohort tendency | The tendency for a significant break in the pattern of political socialization to occur among younger citizens, usually as the result of a major event or development that disrupts preexisting beliefs. |
| agents of socialization | Those agents, such as the family and the media, that have a significant impact on citizens' political socialization. |
| ideology | A consistent pattern of opinion on particular issues that stems from a core belief or set of beliefs. |
| liberals | Those who believe government should do more to solve the nation's problems but reject the notion that government should favor a particular set of social values. |
| conservatives | Those who believe government tries to do too many things that should be left to firms and individuals but look to government to uphold traditional values. |
| libertarians | Those who believe government tries to do too many things that should be left to firms and individuals and who oppose government as an instument of traditional values. |
| populists | Those who believe government should do more to solve the nation's problems and who look to it to uphold traditional values. |
| party identification | The personal sense of loyalty that an individual may feel toward a particular political party. |
