YouTube Transcript:
Measuring PUBLIC OPINION [AP Gov Review_ Unit 4 Topic 5 (4_5)]
Skip watching entire videos - get the full transcript, search for keywords, and copy with one click.
Share:
Video Transcript
hey there and welcome back to heimlich's history now we've been going through unit four of the ap government curriculum and in this video that means it's time to talk about how we measure public opinion so if you're ready to get them brain cows milked with a low sampling error then let's get to it so this video is simple and here's what we're trying to do describe the elements of a scientific poll okay now so far in this unit we've been talking about how people come to hold certain political beliefs and all sorts of people especially politicians are interested in knowing those beliefs so how can they do that well the main way we measure public opinion is through scientific polls which is to say we ask people what they believe and hopefully they tell us the information that pollsters get from these polls have a big impact on elections and policy debates if a poll is created with scientific rigour then they are the best tools we have for measuring public opinion the process includes writing questions that are as free from bias as possible and then presenting them to a small randomized group of people and then generalizing those results to the larger population so first let's have a look at the different ways pollsters measure public opinion and then we'll have a look at how they know those results are accurate so there are four different kinds of polls that you need to know first is an opinion poll which is exactly what it sounds like pollsters use an opinion poll to get a feel for the public's opinion on a certain topic or discerning people's feelings on certain candidates or policies so when a candidate starts making speeches and promising certain things it's not because the candidate is just pulling those policies out of thin air no they have paid attention to the opinion polls and are now making promises based on what the people actually want second is a benchmark poll this is a poll taken at the beginning of a candidate's run this gives the campaign a benchmark against which they can compare future polls to see how the candidate is fairing benchmark polls often focus on a candidate's messaging when they figure out which messages are resonating with voters they'll spend more time on those messages and throw the others away third is a tracking poll these are polls that are conducted over time usually with the same group of people and that gives information on how the group feels about an issue this helps a candidate shape his or her campaign promises especially when the election is near and fourth you have entrance and exit polls and these are polls conducted at voting sites and ask people how they voted if they ask them before a person goes in to vote that's called an entrance poll if they ask after they have voted that's an exit poll these kind of polls are among the most desirable because they're measuring actual voters not just people who may say they're gonna vote and then don't for whatever reason well it's election day but my toe here ain't gonna shave itself so okay so those are the different kinds of polls you need to know and their purpose is to measure public opinion now the real question is this how do we know that these measurements are legitimate well the short answer is that good polls are created with scientific rigor so how do they do that well the first thing you need to know is how researchers choose the people they're going to ask and for that let's talk about sampling techniques pollsters always measure public opinion by means of a sample i mean think about it if you're a pollster and you want to measure public opinion then the best way would be to ask every american of voting age what they think about an issue but then you'd be surveying like 256 million people and just in case you'd like those results and fewer than 400 years you're gonna need to measure the opinion of a sample of those people now in order to be scientifically rigorous a sample first needs to be representative which is to say the sample needs to have the same characteristics as the larger population that it's measuring so if you want to know what millennials think about the legalization of marijuana then you need to ask a small sample of millennials and not senior citizens now sample also needs to be random which means that everyone in a given population has an equal chance of being included now once a pollster has gathered a representative random sample then he or she makes sure that the makeup of the sample matches the larger population and then makes adjustments if need be so the percentages of the samples should match the percentages of the population when it comes to demographic categories like male female race ethnicity socioeconomic status etc and once all those balances have been achieved then the pollster can measure their opinion on an issue and then generalize those responses to the larger population that the sample represents now in a perfect world the sample would match the general population's opinions exactly but if you've been alive for more than five minutes you already know that we do not in fact live in a perfect world so that means there's always the possibility of sampling error which means that there is always a chance that the sample will not exactly represent the general population however in general if a pole has a plus or minus three sampling error that's considered a good and representative pole so getting a good sample is one way the pollsters know that the results are legitimate another way they strive for accuracy is by asking neutral questions and this just means that the questions are neither confusing nor leading and scientific pollsters take great care in making sure that their questions measure what they really want to know because the way questions are worded can have a big effect on results for example if you wanted to measure public opinion on covid vaccines here are two ways to ask the question should the government violate people's personal liberty by requiring vaccination against covet 19 or should a covet-19 vaccination be required depending on how you word that question the results will uh vary now the last thing we need to talk about is survey methodology and the different ways pollsters can measure public opinion and for our purposes you just need to know two first is the mass survey and really most of what i've said in this video applies to the mass survey technique this is when pollsters put together a questionnaire that can be given to as many people as possible and since they're going big with a survey like this mass surveys can really only measure quantitative data so if a group wants to know how many people favor a change in immigration laws that's what a mass survey is for on the other end of the spectrum is the focus group which is when pollsters measure the opinion of a small group of people this method is better for collecting qualitative data which provides more in-depth data about how people feel and think the benefit of a focus group is that respondents can flap their mouth hole at length about their opinions rather than just being confined to a couple of options on a survey question now maybe it's obvious but focus groups aren't considered scientific polling because their opinions can't really be statistically generalized to the larger population however focus groups can help a candidate refine his or her message okay thanks for watching click right here and grab review packet which is going to help you get an a in your class and a five on your exam in may and if this video helped you and you want me to keep making them then by all means subscribe and i shall oblige heimler out
Share:
Paste YouTube URL
Enter any YouTube video link to get the full transcript
Transcript Extraction Form
How It Works
Copy YouTube Link
Grab any YouTube video URL from your browser
Paste & Extract
Paste the URL and we'll fetch the transcript
Use the Text
Search, copy, or save the transcript
Why you need YouTube Transcript?
Extract value from videos without watching every second - save time and work smarter
YouTube videos contain valuable information for learning and entertainment, but watching entire videos is time-consuming. This transcript tool helps you quickly access, search, and repurpose video content in text format.
For Note Takers
- Copy text directly into your study notes
- Get podcast transcripts for better retention
- Translate content to your native language
For Content Creators
- Create blog posts from video content
- Extract quotes for social media posts
- Add SEO-rich descriptions to videos
With AI Tools
- Generate concise summaries instantly
- Create quiz questions from content
- Extract key information automatically
Creative Ways to Use YouTube Transcripts
For Learning & Research
- Generate study guides from educational videos
- Extract key points from lectures and tutorials
- Ask AI tools specific questions about video content
For Content Creation
- Create engaging infographics from video content
- Extract quotes for newsletters and email campaigns
- Create shareable memes using memorable quotes
Power Up with AI Integration
Combine YouTube transcripts with AI tools like ChatGPT for powerful content analysis and creation:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this tool really free?
Yes! YouTubeToText is completely free. No hidden fees, no registration needed, and no credit card required.
Can I translate the transcript to other languages?
Absolutely! You can translate subtitles to over 125 languages. After generating the transcript, simply select your desired language from the options.
Is there a limit to video length?
Nope, you can transcribe videos of any length - from short clips to multi-hour lectures.
How do I use the transcript with AI tools?
Simply use the one-click copy button to copy the transcript, then paste it into ChatGPT or your favorite AI tool. Ask the AI to summarize content, extract key points, or create notes.
Timestamp Navigation
Soon you'll be able to click any part of the transcript to jump to that exact moment in the video.
Have a feature suggestion? Let me know!Get Our Chrome Extension
Get transcripts instantly without leaving YouTube. Install our Chrome extension for one-click access to any video's transcript directly on the watch page.