Changing Public Opinion
Before beginning this assignment, make certain that you have read Chapter 6 in your text (“Public Opinion and Political Action”), the 2021 Pew Research Center Report titled “Americans See Broad Responsibilities for Government: Little Change Since 2019” (March 17), and the 2020 article by Eli Finkel et al. from Science titled, “Political Sectarianism in America” (October, Vol. 370, Issue 6516). Then write a brief report that contains three separate sections that address all the points in each set of questions.Notice the expected word count for each section (exceeding the word count will not negatively affect your grade, but try to stay within the range).
1. Relying on the Pew Research Center Report, briefly summarize what Americans think about the role of the federal government in addressing various policy issues (indicate specific areas and indicate where support is strongest and where it is weakest). Also, describe general levels of trust of and contentment with the federal government and indicate what changes can be detected over time.
2. How do attitudes about federal government responsibilities differ by age, race, income, and partisanship (Democrats and Republicans)? Be sure to indicate where the differences are the least and where they are the greatest on each of these dimensions (age, race, income, and partisanship).
3. Based on your reading of “Political Sectarianism in America,” (a) summarize the article’s major findings, (b) list and describe the three causes identified for the increase in political sectarianism, and (c) identify and elaborate on a few of the consequences of this trend.
