United States Government: Democracy in Action

Introduction
How many opinions do you voice in a day? Do you like today's cafeteria food? Do you like a particular band? Are you satisfied with the courses and extracurricular activities offered at your school? Your opinion obviously matters to you. In fact, it matters to elected officials as well. In this activity, you will learn why government officials are interested in your opinion, and how they go about learning what your opinions are.

Destination Title: This Nation: Public Opinion

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Use the information you found to answer the following questions.

1			According to the document, what is public opinion?
2			Who was the first president's "pollster"? What was his method of polling?
3			In addition to what people believe, what do pollsters try to determine?
4			Why is "randomness" important when conducting a poll?
5			Conduct your own poll. Write five questions asking your respondents what they believe shaped most of their political opinions. Your survey may be open (What shaped your opinion about the most recent presidential candidates?) or closed (Which of the following most shaped your opinion about the presidential candidate: the media, your parents, your friends, and so on.) Conduct your poll with non-sampling errors in mind.