PUBLIC OPINION, FINAL EXAM (FALL 2023, exam)

Answer any TWO of the following three questions, and answer them fully in your own words. Please study for the test ahead of time, and take the test in a closed book, closed notebook format. You have three hours maximum to take the test. E-mail me your test as a Word attachment no later than the time of the final exam, which is Wednesday, December 6 at Noon (3 PM is fine).

1) Group differences in political issue attitudes. How do higher socioeconomic status people somewhat differ from lower socioeconomic status people on domestic economic issue attitudes, and on race and civil liberty attitudes, and explain how and why they have somewhat different orientations? How do African Americans differ in attitudes from whites on diverse policy issues, and how and why are there racial differences? How do young adults differ somewhat from older adults on a variety of issues, and how and why are there these age differences? How do women somewhat differ from men on certain issues, and explain what issues are involved, and how and why these differences exist? Now, what combination of these four groups do you see yourself as a member, and do you share the general orientations of those groups, and explain why or why not?

2) Presidential Approval question. What are the 4 factors that generally hurt a President’s job approval rating in public opinion polls, and what is the 1 factor that temporarily helps a President’s approval rating, and explain why each is important and give specific examples of specific Presidents that each of the five factors have affected? Who are the 3 most popular Presidents among Americans since 1930 (according to the lecturer), and who are the 3 most unpopular Presidents since 1930, and explain with specifics why each was popular or unpopular? If you were the advisor to President Joe Biden, what specific advice would you give him to increase his currently weak approval rating, and defend your answer?

3) Presidential general elections question. Using the University of Michigan model that explains how political attitudes affect the presidential vote, explain how party identification, issue attitudes, and evaluations of the candidates affected each presidential general election from 1972 up to and including 2016. In each of these 12 presidential elections, make sure that you mention who the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates were, who won, and specifically why each of the winners was victorious, and defend your answer for why they were able to win. If conditions in 2024 are similar to today’s conditions, and the two major party candidates are Biden and Trump, pick one of these candidates to be the advisor for. Now, what campaign strategy would you advise them to follow, and defend your answer?