Page and Shapiro also investigated the link between public opinion and public policy. What was their finding?
a. The public expects its elected representatives to seek its opinion before developing public policy.
b. There is very little correlation between public opinion and public policy.
c. When public opinion shifts, a corresponding shift in public policy is likely to follow.
d. Since public opinion is impossible to determine accurately, public opinion cannot be impacted.
e. Divisive partisan politics have the impact of creating impasse, whereby public opinion becomes irrelevant to enactment of public policy.
Question 2
In their book The Rational Public, Page and Shapiro studied public opinion by reviewing decades of poll data. Which of the following is NOT one of the findings of their study?
a. Over the long haul, pubic opinion on many issues remains fairly stable.
b. When public opinion does change, it moves in logical directions.
c. Public opinion generally reflects a lackluster or lazy attitude among many voters.
d. Decades of poll data show a pattern of sensibility and rationality on the part of public opinion.
e. Public opinion tends to form meaningful patterns consistent with a set of underlying beliefs and values.