MASARYK UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND EUROPEAN
STUDIES
MVZ 449
Comparative Mass Political Behavior ­ U.S.
Spring 2010
Midterm Examination
Your Midterm exam is due in printed form by 3 pm, Thursday, April 29th
. You will
leave your exam in my faculty mailbox in the Department office.
Choose ONE of the following questions and answer the question in 5 pages (doublespaced,
12 point font) or less. Be sure to provide citations for your answers drawn from
our readings and class lectures.
1. What factors determine a person's political opinions? (A good answer will cover
both internal and external factors as well as some discussion of the socialization
aspect of public opinion formation).
2. What is the biggest problem in measuring public opinion and how have researchers
tried to solve it? Have they been successful?
3. How do citizens decide whether to vote or not? What are the characteristics of
people who turn out to vote?
Common Factors of These Midterm Questions
Aspects of American Political Culture ­ beliefs, attitudes, and processes of opinion
formation;
Public Opinion ­ sources, significance, and important differences related to SES,
ethnicity, education, & gender. Differences between ideology and partisanship;
Problems with measurement of attitudes through polls and the general measurement of
political participation and attitudes;
Participation rates and changes since the mid-1960s in voter participation, political
attitudes, and association with politics;
Elections, campaigns, and macro vs micro effects ­ electioneering processes, "culture
wars," and political campaign advertising. Intro to media (more after the midterm).