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| groups of citizens who are more attentive to particular areas of public policy than average citizens b/c such groups have some special stake in the issues |
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| a citizen who is highly attentive to and involved in politics or some sub-area of it and to whom other citizens turn for political information and cues |
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| a mental device allowing citizens to make complex decisinos based on a small amount of information. for example a candidates party label serves as a shortcut by telling voters much about his or her positions on issues |
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Definition
| the process by which citizens acquire their political beliefs and values |
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| providing a context that affects the criteria citizens use to evaluate candidates, campaigns and political issues |
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| the news media's influence on how citizens make political judgments, through emphasis on particular stories |
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| in a democracy the sum of all indivdual opinions |
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Term
| aggregated public opinion (its stability) |
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Definition
| aggregated public opinion is very stable. studies have shown that individual's opinion do not change from survey to survey, and when they do it is b/c of substantial changes in conditions |
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